The willingness to shape policy that reflects women’s lived reality
- Written by: Susan, Scottish Women's Convention —
- Published: 27th January 2026
The ALLIANCE’s Women’s Health Lived Experience Group reflect on their input to Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.
I’m Susan, Manager at the Scottish Women’s Convention (SWC). We joined the Women’s Health Plan Lived Experience Group because women’s health is inseparable from everyday equality — from maternity care to rural access, from mental health to the gendered impacts of poverty. Over the past year the group has given the SWC a space to bring the lived experience we gather across Scotland into direct conversations with policy makers.
Through the group we have taken part in in‑person development days and workshops where women’s lived experience shaped practical priorities for Phase 2. What stood out was the breadth of voices: women from island and rural communities, young people, older women, disabled women and those with lived experience of violence. The SWC roadshows in places such as the Isle of Lewis and Harris, Largs and Millport, and Perth fed into those discussions, and we used evidence from our maternity conference, survey and roundtables to highlight gaps in local services and the need for trauma‑informed care.
What we have appreciated most is the genuine willingness from those involved with the Women’s Health plan to listen and to shape policy against lived reality. Involving lived experience isn’t tokenistic here. It changes priorities, explains practical barriers and points to where funding and service design must shift.
Working on Phase 2 has also meant meaningful collaboration with organisations across the sector. We’ve met with Health and Social Care Partnerships, NHS Scotland, the Poverty Alliance, Making Rights Real, North Highland Women’s Wellbeing Hub, African Caribbean Women’s Association, Shakti, Glasgow Disability Alliance, and many grassroots groups. These conversations have informed recommendations on rural healthcare, maternity journeys, mental health supports and the intersection of poverty and women’s health. We were invited to speak at events because of this work and held two events of our own regarding Maternity Journey’s and Misogyny in Education. We spoke at Delivering Equally Safe workshops and parliamentary roundtables — opportunities that helped close the loop between women’s lived experience and policy.
Our hope for the future is simple: a Women’s Health Plan that embeds equity across services, funds community‑based supports, and ensures that rural, disabled and marginalised women see real improvements in care. We are proud that the SWC’s grassroots engagement has helped shape Phase 2, and we look forward to continuing to hold decision‑makers to account so that women’s voices remain central to implementation of the Plan.
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