In response to the growing recognition of the unique health needs and challenges faced by women in England, the Women’s Health Strategy for England was developed and published in June 2022 to address longstanding gaps in women’s healthcare and to promote better health outcomes for women across the country.

On 20 September 2023, Wellbeing of Women, convened the first event of The Health Collective, bringing together a diverse group of individuals and organisations who are passionate about improving women’s health, especially for marginalised communities. The event aimed to highlight the work being done by grassroots organisations and identify barriers to and opportunities for improving women’s health. MHP Health has supported The Health Collective with a summary of events that day and subsequent production of this report. The event was attended by over 30 participants, including healthcare professionals, community advocates, researchers and charities. Many attendees shared their experiences as marginalised women navigating the healthcare system. For many, these experiences inspired them to create safe spaces and support services catering to underserved groups. The discussions highlighted a clear need for better engagement, culturally competent care, improved funding models and cross-sector collaboration.

This report summarises the key themes and outlines recommendations to help drive action towards more inclusive women’s health services.

Download the report here:

The Health Collective

The Health Collective The Health Collective is a group of grassroots Black, Asian and other ethnic minority groups that support women’s health in their communities with the aim to ensure their voices and knowledge are fed into the delivery of the Women’s Health Strategy and help to address the stark health inequalities across society. The group agreed that a shared platforms to showcase their work nationally and the linkages with other advocates working on aligned issues will improve best practice sharing and allow them to increase their bargaining power. The group will meet quarterly and a directory of their work will be housed on the Wellbeing of Women website.

Wellbeing of Women

Led by women’s voices, Wellbeing of Women’s mission is to improve gynaecological and reproductive health and wellbeing through research, education and advocacy. We want a future where every single woman has access to high-quality and accurate healthcare and information. We exist for all women with representation that is inclusive and diverse, with women informing our areas of impact.

MHP Health Advocacy

MHP Health’s mission is to enhance and extend people’s lives by building campaigns which change the way that patients, professionals, and policy makers think and act. We combine expertise in government affairs, health systems policy, patient advocacy, PR and digital activation to help our clients’ campaigns deliver tangible outcomes. Our clients, whether global pharmaceutical companies, Patient Advocacy Groups or small providers, work with us because we help them look around corners and navigate an ever-changing, complex environment.