Contributing To Women’s Health Call

Community Integrated Care was proud to meet with the Department of Health & Social Care’s Minister for Care, Helen Whatley, and the Chief Nurse for Social Care, Deborah Sturdy, at a roundtable event to share experiences and opinions on women’s health.   

Representing our organisation at the online event, which took place today (Monday 10^th May), was Gillian Edwards, Service Leader at Gilmorton Close in Leicester. With women making up over 80% of the adult social care workforce, Helen Whatley was keen to hear experiences from the sector on ‘women’s health in the workplace’.

Gillian leads a team of 50 colleagues, 31 of whom are women, so was able to share invaluable experiences on women’s health, representing both our colleagues and the people we support. The evidence will go on to inform the Government’s first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England, helping to improve women’s health and care across the UK.

The call for evidence asks for views across six themes within areas of women’s health: listening to women’s voices; information and education; women’s health across the life course; women’s health in the workplace; research, evidence and data; and the impacts of Covid-19 on women’s health.

The Department of Health and Social Care have said, “For generations, women have lived with a health and care system designed mostly by men, for men – the strategy, informed by the call for evidence, will set an ambitious and positive new agenda to improve the health and wellbeing for women across England.”

Gill Edwards, Service Leader at Community Integrated Care said, “I was honoured to be part of the discussion today with the Minister for Care and Chief Nurse for Social Care, representing the views of my colleagues, the people we support and women in the social care sector. There were some incredible contributions, from breaking taboos on women’s health issues to difficulty accessing services that meet specific health needs.”

She continued, “Thank you to the Department of Health and Social Care for inviting me to take part.”

The Women’s Health Call for Evidence is open to everyone aged 16 and over and closes on 13th June 2020.