Healthcare leaders and patient advocates gathered at a women’s health summit in Cardiff this week to examine how pain and health concerns among women are frequently normalized or dismissed within the NHS. The event brought together clinicians, researchers, and women with lived experience to discuss systemic issues in women’s healthcare delivery.
One patient, a 56-year-old woman from Swansea, shared her experience with a vaginal mesh implant fitted to treat stress urinary incontinence. She described years of severe pain that she felt was not acknowledged by medical professionals until her husband advocated on her behalf. The device was eventually removed, but she reported continued chronic pain and faces the prospect of losing her large bowel and requiring a permanent stoma. She noted the absence of specialist services in Wales for patients like herself, contrasting this with nine specialist centres available in England.
An estimated 100,000 women in the UK received this procedure to address incontinence or prolapse. The NHS has since paused the procedure. The patient expressed concern that women in Wales are receiving inadequate specialized care compared to other parts of the country.
Delyth Jewell, the women’s health minister in the Welsh parliament, stated her intention to strengthen rules requiring health boards to include women in the design of services. She highlighted concerns about long waiting times for gynecological services and emphasized the need for improved training and prioritization of women’s health in operating theatres. Isabel Linton, representing a charity focused on women’s healthcare in Wales, noted that diagnosis and treatment access remain challenging, with navigating between health boards presenting additional obstacles. She stressed that women’s health encompasses conditions beyond obstetrics and gynecology, including autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular conditions where women experience different symptom presentations than men.
The summit will inform the drafting of minimum standards to ensure women’s voices continue to influence healthcare delivery priorities. This work builds upon the Women’s Health Plan launched in December 2024, which incorporated input from thousands of women during its design phase. Officials indicated that additional feedback would be gathered later this year to identify areas requiring improvement.
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