The Government has unveiled its renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, signalling a shift towards system-wide reform in how women access, experience, and influence healthcare.
At the heart of the strategy is a new accountability model, with plans to link women’s lived experience directly to provider funding. Under a proposed trial, patient feedback could determine whether services face financial consequences – a move designed to address long-standing concerns that women’s symptoms and pain have too often been dismissed.
Alongside this, a single referral pathway will be introduced to streamline access to care, supported by expanded digital services and community provision. The aim is to reduce delays in diagnosis and treatment, particularly for conditions such as endometriosis and fibroids, where waiting times remain significant.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said: “We inherited a broken NHS…[that] too often gaslights women, treating their pain as an inconvenience and their symptoms as an overreaction…Women’s voices must be central to delivering effective, respectful and empathetic care.”
From Policy to Accountability
A main feature of the renewed strategy is the shift from policy ambition to system accountability.
For the first time, patient voice is being positioned as a mechanism for system leverage rather than mere traditional feedback – directly influencing how services are funded and improved. This marks a notable evolution in NHS reform, moving beyond traditional engagement models towards more tangible incentives for change.
As a longstanding advocate for this change, former Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, and Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Social Care, and Curia, Health, Care, and Life Sciences Research Group Advisory Board, Paula Sherriff said: “This is a welcome and necessary step forward. For too long, women’s experiences have been overlooked in the design of our health system. Embedding women’s voices into how care is delivered and funded is a significant shift, and one we have consistently called for.
“The challenge now is ensuring these commitments are matched by sustained investment and delivered at scale across the country.”
Commenting on the reset, Chief Executive of UKHLSI, Joanne Bekis said: “The renewed Women’s Health Strategy marks an important shift from ambition to accountability. By embedding women’s lived experience into funding decisions, prioritising integrated care pathways, and backing innovation in areas such as femtech and community-based delivery, the Government is acknowledging the systemic failures that have held women back for too long.
“The challenge now is delivery at scale – with sustained investment and clear outcomes – so that better women’s health becomes not only a clinical priority, but a driver of economic growth and workforce participation. An area that UKHLSI are able to support, provide advice, help develop and deliver.”
At the same time, the strategy explicitly acknowledges systemic failures within women’s healthcare, positioning reform as both a clinical and cultural reset.
NHS England’s Clinical Director for Women’s Health, Dr Sue Mann said: “Too many women are still dismissed for serious symptoms…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.”
Integrated Care and Pathway Redesign
The move towards a single point of access and integrated care pathways reflects a broader shift away from fragmented services.
Clinical pathways for heavy menstrual bleeding, menopause, and urogynaecological conditions will be redesigned to improve speed and consistency of care. Community-based provision, supported by digital tools such as NHS Online and expanded diagnostic centres, is intended to reduce pressure on hospitals while improving access closer to home.
President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Dr Alison Wright said: “The refreshed Women’s Health Strategy marks an important renewal…There is a clear opportunity to embed Women’s Health Hubs within the neighbourhood health model.”
Innovation, Research and the Role of Femtech
The strategy also places greater emphasis on innovation and research, including a new £1.5 million Femtech Challenge Fund to accelerate the adoption of technologies that could transform women’s healthcare.
Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR, Professor Lucy Chappell said: “By tackling long-standing disparities…and making it easier for women to take part in clinical trials, we are ensuring that the research that we fund benefits all women in society.”
This focus reflects a growing recognition that addressing gaps in data, diagnostics, and treatment pathways is essential to improving outcomes at scale.
A Life-Course Approach to Women’s Health
The renewed strategy adopts a life-course approach, recognising that women’s health needs are interconnected and evolve over time.
Initiatives include:
- Improved menstrual health education.
- Expanded access to contraception and abortion services.
- Integration of menopause support into NHS Health Checks.
- Review of support for families experiencing baby loss.
Women’s Health Ambassador, Professor Dame Lesley Regan described the strategy as: “An opportunity to embed the voices of girls and women at the heart of the design and delivery of their healthcare…when we get it right for women, everyone benefits.”
Sector Response: Progress, but Delivery Will Define Success
Across the sector, the strategy has been broadly welcomed as a necessary and overdue intervention.
Chief Executive of Wellbeing of Women, Janet Lindsay said: “Real progress in women’s health is only possible through true collaboration… we are committed to working across the sector to ensure the refreshed strategy drives meaningful, long-term improvements.”
Chief Executive of Endometriosis UK, Emma Cox added: “Diagnosis times…are going up not down…Leadership and decisive actions will be vital to drive these times down.”
However, stakeholders have been clear that delivery, investment, and system capacity will ultimately determine whether the strategy achieves its ambitions.
Chief Executive of the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA), Helen Dent said:
“We are pleased that the government is making a clear commitment…but the key will be consistent implementation nationally. Without sustained and ring-fenced multiyear investment…the ability of providers to respond quickly, using the best diagnostics available in the community will be difficult. CDCs could deliver significant diagnostic testing for women, but current plans do not go far enough.”
Commenting on the strategy refresh, Former Minister of State for Health at the Department of Health and Social Care and Chair, Curia Health, Care, and Life Sciences Research Group Advisory Board, Rt Hon Andrew Stephenson CBE said: “Today’s announcement shows clear progress in recognising the structural challenges within women’s health. The focus on integrated care pathways and faster access is particularly encouraging.
“However, to fully unlock the economic and societal benefits outlined in Curia’s Women’s Health Dividend, we must go further – with long-term funding, clear delivery plans, and a stronger link to workforce participation and economic growth.”
Curia Analysis
The strategy reflects several priorities set out in Curia’s Women’s Health Dividend report:
- Embedding women’s voices in system design
- Curia called for co-production and accountability driven by lived experience.
- The Government’s decision to link feedback to funding represents a direct and significant alignment.
- Integrated, community-based care models
- Curia emphasised the need for:
- Women’s Health Hubs
- Single-point triageNeighbourhood delivery models
- The introduction of single referral pathways and community integration mirrors this approach.
- Curia emphasised the need for:
- Focus on high-impact conditions
- Curia highlighted:
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Menopause
- Contraception
- Government reforms prioritise exactly these areas, particularly pathway redesign and waiting list reduction.
- Curia highlighted:
- Innovation and adoption (including femtech)
- Curia called for stronger innovation pathways and adoption frameworks.
- The new Femtech Challenge Fund and digital services reflect this agenda.
- Tackling inequalities and adopting a life-course approach
- Curia’s report highlighted regional, socio-economic, and ethnic disparities and called for equitable access for all including minority ethnicities groups and BAME.
- The strategy includes commitments to equity, education, and community provision.
Curia and UK Healthcare and Life Sciences Innovation (UKHLSI) members can read more about the strategy here (NB. Members will be sent a copy of the password).
Addressing Inequalities and Underrepresentation
The strategy explicitly acknowledges the role of inequality in shaping women’s health outcomes, particularly for marginalised communities.
Founding Chair, Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN), Professor Faye Ruddock DL said: “The recognition of key women’s health concerns… alongside the focus on community voice, co-production, and culturally responsive care, reflects meaningful listening and genuine intent.”
Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, Dr Charmaine Griffiths added: “The outdated idea that heart disease is a ‘man’s disease’ has cost many women their health…Now we need sustained action right across the NHS.”
Expanding Access to Reproductive Health
Reproductive health remains a core focus of the strategy, with plans to expand access to contraception and improve service delivery across communities.
President of the College of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, Dr Zara Haider said: “We’re really pleased to see women’s sexual and reproductive health placed firmly at the centre…If neighbourhood health centres can replicate the success demonstrated by Women’s Health Hubs, this would be a major step forward.”
Final Thought: Direction Set – Delivery Now Critical
The renewed Women’s Health Strategy represents a positive step forward in recognising and addressing systemic failures in women’s healthcare. Its focus on accountability, integrated care, and patient voice aligns with a growing consensus across policy and industry.
However, as stakeholders across the system have highlighted, the strategy stops short of the scale of investment, delivery clarity, and economic framing required to fully transform outcomes.
The direction is now set and as Curia has highlighted for over many years, the challenge ahead is ensuring that ambition is matched by implementation, capacity, and sustained commitment – so that women across the country see tangible improvements in how care is accessed, experienced, and delivered.
Get Involved: Find Out More
Curia has been commissioned by UK Healthcare and Life Sciences Innovation (UKHLSI) in 2026 to look at enhancing women’s health commissioning pathways. Outcomes from first of the strategic innovation gateways and sprint sessions with West Yorkshire NHS Health and Care Partnership will be published shortly.
If you would like to find out more about this work, or others, please contact Partnerships Director at UKHLSI, Ben McDermott at bmcdermott@ukhlsi.co.uk.