Publication of Phase Two of Scotland’s Women’s Health Plan

The Scottish Government Plan builds on progress from the first Women’s Health Plan and sets new priority areas.

Women and girls make up over 51% of the population of Scotland, yet their specific health needs, which are different to those of men, have historically been overlooked .

Phase Two of the Women’s Health Plan is building on progress from the first phase of the Plan (2021-2024), to take action for women’s health across Scotland and set out new areas of commitment and focus.

This first phase of the Women’s Health Plan focussed on creating the conditions for change needed to improve health outcomes for all women and girls in Scotland.

Phase Two continues this work and focuses attention on priority programs to:

• Transform gynaecology services to ensure women and girls have timely access to gynaecological care;
• Eliminate cervical cancer by 2040;
• Improve support and understanding of  women’s brain health.

This next phase also sets out 40 new actions related to:

The Health of Women and Girls: Cross-cutting actions to improve women’s health research and data, awareness raising, and health information

Optimising Future Health: Focused actions on optimising women’s health across the life course through a preventative lens, with a specific focus on bone health, pelvic floor health and building on progress made on women’s heart health.

Gynaecology and Reproductive Health: improve access to care and treatment for menopause and menstrual health, including fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Abortion, Sexual Health and Contraception: improving equity in abortion provision across Scotland, including later stage abortion; and exploring the issue of hormone hesitancy amongst young women along with expanding post-partum contraception.

The Women’s Health Plan Phase Two is available to read online here

You can also access an Easy Read Version.

In addition, the Scottish Government have published The Health of Women and Girls: Health and Social Care Policy beyond the Women’s Health Plan and the Women’s Health Plan Phase Two: Focus Group Report.

The ALLIANCE contributed to discussions on the development of Phase 2, as well as coordinating input from our Women’s Health Plan Lived Experience Stakeholder Group. Over several in-person and online meetings, the Group shared priorities and feedback which helped shape different aspects of the Plan and its areas of focus. To understand the role that the Group played, and hear from the women themselves about their experience in contributing to policy design, you can hear from several members in our current blog series – Women’s health blog series – Developing Phase 2 of Scotland’s Women’s Health Plan – Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland

The Lived Experience Stakeholder Group is one element of the ALLIANCE’s wider Women’s Health Programme, which is delivered in support of the Women’s Health Plan and in partnership with the Scottish Government. Supporting the Women’s Health Plan – Policy and research

Further information on women’s health

The Women’s Health Platform on NHS Inform aims to provide women with consistent, reliable and accessible information empowering them to make informed decisions about their health. It includes a range of short films with experts, animations and lived experience films to support greater accessibility and engagement with clinical information.

The first phase of the Women’s Health Plan (2021-2024) can be read here.

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