NHS Acknowledges Medical Misogyny - And Introduces New Strategy to Ensure Women Are Heard

Confirming what women in pain have known for years, the NHS is pledging to set things right

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The Government has announced a renewed strategy to improve women’s healthcare and tackle outdated views tainting their experiences. Photo: Unsplash

The UK Government has published its renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, and explicitly acknowledges the reality of outdated and misogynistic practices around pain relief within the NHS.

Validating what many living with chronic pain have reported for years, that it’s hard to get doctors to take your pain seriously, alongside the lack of adequate pain relief during invasive gynaecological procedures, forges a path forward for better care.

Those experiencing severe or complex pain, such as the symptoms of endometriosis, or other illnesses that cause chronic discomfort, have frequently felt dismissed or ignored by healthcare professionals.

How Women Have Been Failed By the NHS

This updated 10-year plan serves as an official recognition of the NHS’s deeply embedded systemic failures. There is no stronger validation than the Government admitting that the current health system has been letting women down for years, with lengthy waiting lists and delayed diagnoses for conditions such as endometriosis (now stretching to nine years on average), heavy menstrual bleeding, and menopause.

Highlighting the need for a cultural shift, former Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said, ‘We inherited a broken NHS, which was particularly felt by women, who have for so long been let down by a healthcare system that too often gaslights women, treating their pain as an inconvenience and their symptoms as an overreaction.

‘Whether it’s being passed from one appointment to another for conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, or a lack of proper pain relief during invasive procedures, through to having to navigate symptoms for years before receiving a diagnosis, it’s clear the system is failing women.

‘Women’s voices must be central to delivering effective, respectful and empathetic care. We need to hit medical misogyny where it hurts - the wallet. Today’s renewed strategy will tackle the issues women face every day and ensure no woman is left fighting to be heard.’

The Next Steps

To address this, the Government is introducing a trial that links NHS funding directly to patient feedback. This would mean any hospitals and clinics that consistently fail to listen to female patients will face financial penalties.

The strategy also introduces a streamlined referral system to get women to the right specialist faster, alongside new neighbourhood health services to bring care directly into local communities. It will also shorten the time it takes for women to receive an accurate diagnosis.

The renewed strategy is aligned with the 10 Year Health Plan for England and sets out how women will have voice, choice and power in their health and healthcare.

Reflecting on how the current system has historically fallen short, Sue Mann, NHS England’s Clinical Director for Women’s Health, acknowledged the ongoing challenges patients face. She says, ‘We have come a long way in the last decade with women’s health being talked about more, but there are still parts of society and the health system that are trapped in outdated thinking.

‘Too many women are still dismissed for serious symptoms that impact every part of their lives, whether that’s menstrual pain, irregular periods, or hot flushes and brain fog that affect many women experiencing the menopause.

‘The renewed Women’s Health Strategy will build significantly on the work the NHS has been doing to ensure women are heard and get the specialist care they need - with a focus on bringing down waiting times, delivering more care in communities and giving women more choice over their care.’

What This Means for the Living In Pain Community

Besides the long-overdue validation of the gaslighting and misogyny women face in medical settings, the renewed NHS strategy acknowledges that having your pain dismissed is not an unfortunate rarity, but a recognised issue the NHS is actively working to fix, with £26 billion in funding for the task, secured by the UK’s first female Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

By combining financial accountability with more accessible local care and improved care pathways, the plan offers a constructive path forward toward a healthcare system where women are routinely believed and supported.

The hope is that this more joined-up approach will reduce waiting times, for example, for endometriosis care, where diagnostic odysseys are taking longer than ever, stretching even further for minorities, who are experiencing deeper systemic failures.

Emma Cox, Chief Executive of Endometriosis UK, says the renewed Women’s Health Strategy comes at a time when it is desperately needed. ‘Diagnosis times for endometriosis are going up, not down, and it’s now taking an average of 9 years 4 months - rising to 11 years for diverse ethnic communities - which is totally unacceptable. Leadership and decisive actions will be vital to drive these times down.’

It’s not just gynaecological issues that have seen a lower standard of care, as women’s heart health symptoms are often overlooked too, underpinned by misogynistic and outdated tropes.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation (BHF), adds, ‘The outdated idea that heart disease is a “man’s disease” has cost many women their health and, in some cases, their lives. Their symptoms are too often overlooked, and women continue to be underrepresented in crucial heart research. That’s why BHF is committed to changing a poor status quo by investing in cutting‑edge research into women’s heart health and taking bold steps to strengthen the science that underpins better care for millions of women.’

She emphasised that the new strategy is an ‘important step towards making sure every woman is listened to and receives the care she needs’.

• If you have a story of medical misogyny or delayed care you’d like to share with us, submit your story via our dedicated form.