We transform services through our people-centered approach. We have a strong track record of delivering projects, such as electronic patient records, for the NHS.
Learn moreWe transform services through our people-centered approach. We have a strong track record of delivering projects, such as electronic patient records, for the NHS.
Learn moreWe deliver transformation projects, helping redefine omnichannel footprint, accelerate technical transformations and optimise costs across the organisation.
Learn moreWe shape, plan, and execute transformation projects, M&A strategies, and cost optimisation initiatives, ensuring a competitive edge in a competitive market.
Learn moreWe deliver tailored transformations, risk management, cyber and cost optimisation, ensuring measurable success and alignment to regulations.
Learn moreWe deliver transformation projects, M&A activities and cost optimisation initiatives, as well as supporting clients navigate and adopt AI solutions.
Learn moreWe transform services through our people-centered approach. We have a strong track record of delivering projects, such as electronic patient records, for the NHS.
Learn moreWe deliver transformation projects, helping redefine omnichannel footprint, accelerate technical transformations and optimise costs across the organisation.
Learn moreWe shape, plan, and execute transformation projects, M&A strategies, and cost optimisation initiatives, ensuring a competitive edge in a competitive market.
Learn moreWe deliver tailored transformations, risk management, cyber and cost optimisation, ensuring measurable success and alignment to regulations.
Learn moreWe deliver transformation projects, M&A activities and cost optimisation initiatives, as well as supporting clients navigate and adopt AI solutions.
Learn more“ Women hold up half the sky “
Mao Zedong, Emphasising the critical role of women in the cultural revolution.
In the UK’s health and social care sectors, our reliance on women to hold up the sky is closer to 80%.
Our sector is facing some of the most difficult times in its history. Waiting lists are at their highest, with unprecedented workforce issues in both recruitment and retention.
The impact of women’s health issues on the economy is generally not well understood; however a recent AXA Health report shows that this is taking a hefty economic toll on the UK, costing around £20.2 billion each year in sickness absence alone. In addition, when facing health issues that affect women, 83% report a financial impact, while nine in ten also experience emotional job-related struggles.
There are over 500,000 women on waiting lists for secondary care, in the main for gynaecological conditions; with an average of 16 weeks wait from referral to treatment. These are some of the longest waiting times nationally; how many of these women are also health and care workers?
Focusing on women’s health issues could get doctors, nurses, carers, social workers, care assistants back to work, greatly assisting the NHS and social care in addressing its workforce issues.
As well as the human cost; there is a sound economic argument for early recognition, diagnosis and treatment of these debilitating health issues and enabling women to work as productively as possible. Retaining skilled and experienced staff in the workforce will improve service delivery and decrease pressure on the sector.
Supporting the 80% who are holding up the sky will offer benefits to all service users.
One year on from the publication of the Women’s Health Strategy, most ICSs are focusing on the design and delivery of their Women’s Health Hubs (WHH).
Designed to bring a range of women’s services together under one (physical or digital) roof; there is a huge opportunity to think boldly, to collaboratively redesign clinical pathways and journeys for women which leverage innovation and digital technologies to scale and extend access to health and care services for many women.
There are a wide range of models being designed across the country with hubs being developed out of primary and secondary or community care settings.
Investments in digitising primary care, implementing Electronic Patient Records (EPR) alongside developing shared care and personal health records accessed via patient portals integrated with the NHS App create a digital ecosystem which can be leveraged in the development of WHHs.
Designing for digital can enable WHHs to scale and reach wider groups, creating communities of support, connecting women with similar health concerns, providing encouragement and sharing experiences and management strategies. There are exceptionally good examples deployed today which can be replicated and scaled. However, any move to digital needs to be designed within the context of digital exclusion; an in-depth understanding not only of user needs but barriers to access will inform intelligent, multichannel design of services which work for everyone. Designing women’s health hubs informed by ICS digital inclusion strategies at an ICS level is critical to ensure that no woman gets left behind.
We have a thriving Femtech ecosystem in the UK with up to 56% of women between 18-14 and 40% of women 40-54 regularly using women’s digital health platforms. FemTech is revolutionising women’s health by helping de-stigmatise many aspects of women’s health—from menstruation to pelvic floor health to sexual wellness; by empowering women to connect with and have more control over their bodies and by extending the reach of health and care professionals through digital.
As well as having the most to gain from focusing on addressing women’s health issues, the health and care sector also has the most opportunity to do so.
For many of these clinicians, the work which they do in Women’s Health is amongst the most enjoyable and rewarding part of their working lives, enabling them to specialise in and focus in these areas may act as powerful and motivating retention factors.
In a final thought, there is a strong argument to prioritise the treatment of our female workforce as a deliberate policy initiative. In the same way as we vaccinated essential workers as a priority during Covid, we could prioritise our female workforce as part of Women’s Health strategies. This will bring capacity and capability back into services and address some of the clinical areas with the longest outpatient waiting times.
Focusing Women’s Health Hubs on delivering services to those sections of the population will provide significant benefit to the wider health and economic outcomes for Integrated Care Systems.
We have a huge opportunity to shape a new form of healthcare delivery, combining the power of digital technologies with traditional clinical models to benefit women, both as patients and as service providers, genuinely turning the dial for women’s health.
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