Health and Wellbeing Board	16 July 2025
Report of the Manager, Healthwatch York

Healthwatch York Reports: Women’s health: Stories of women’s health experiences in York

Summary

1. This report is for the attention of Board members, sharing a Healthwatch York report focused on women’s health. The report brings together women’s experiences when navigating health and care.  

Background

2. Healthwatch York provides information and advice about health and care services, signposts people to support, and listens to their experiences when accessing health and care services. We are aware of the work at Integrated Care Board level to improve women’s experiences of care through the Women Living Well Longer workstream. Also, as part of our work exploring GP access, we heard a number of concerns relating to women’s health. In this report, we bring together feedback from partner organisations alongside the stories women chose to share with us.

Main/Key Issues to be considered

3. Our report’s key findings are:

· Women want to be listened to, collectively and individually

· They want improved pathways of support for long term conditions, including:

o Endometriosis and fibrosis

o ME / CFS

o Fibromyalgia

o POTS

o Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

o Osteoporosis

o Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder

· They want better support for menopause, especially early menopause

· They also want a greater focus on women’s health after the menopause, considering issues like bone health

· Some are concerned about unhelpful labels and diagnoses, particularly borderline personality disorder, emotionally unstable personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder

Consultation

4. In producing this report, we reached out to partners including York Disability Rights Forum, local menopause support groups, York Women’s Centre and the York branch of the National Osteoporosis Society.

Options

5. We have included a small number of recommendations based on the themes we have identified from the stories shared. We would be happy to add any other recommendations partners identify from their reading of it. The recommendations can be found on page 64.

        Implications

6. There are no specialist implications from this report.

· Financial

There are no financial implications in this report.

· Human Resources (HR)

There are no HR implications in this report.

· Equalities

There are no equalities implications in this report.

· Legal

There are no legal implications in this report.

· Crime and Disorder

There are no crime and disorder implications in this report.

· Information Technology (IT)

There are no IT implications in this report.

· Property

There are no property implications in this report.

· Other

There are no other implications in this report.

        Risk Management

7. There are no risks associated with this report.

        Recommendations

8. The Health and Wellbeing Board are asked to:

i. Receive Healthwatch York’s reports, Women’s Health: Stories of women’s health experiences in York.

ii. Respond to the recommendations made in line with the Health and Wellbeing Board’s processes.

Reason: To keep up to date with the work of Healthwatch York and be aware of what members of the public are telling us, and to respond to the recommendations made.

Contact Details

Author:	Chief Officer Responsible for the report:
Siân Balsom Manager Healthwatch York 01904 621133
	Report Approved	Date	03.07.25
Wards Affected:  All				All	P
For further information please contact the author of the report

Background Papers:

Annex A: Women’s health: Stories of women’s health experiences in York