The Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England by Lord Darzi is sobering and marks a watershed moment for the NHS.
Commenting on the review, Ranee Thakar, RCOG President, said:
“The RCOG had the opportunity to inform this important review, providing evidence and participating in the Expert Reference Group. Our message was clear - women and girls deserve better.
“Gynaecology services are in crisis, with over three quarters of a million women in the UK currently waiting for hospital gynaecology care. Maternity services are stretched to their limits. Women and girls are unable to access convenient and timely contraception and abortion care.
"Austerity and insufficient investment in the NHS has disproportionately affected women and girls. This is cutting lives short, with women in the most deprived areas of the UK dying many years earlier than their least deprived counterparts.”
The RCOG is committed to championing the voice of our members, and women and girls, working with the new government as they develop the 10-year plan for the NHS. The College welcomes the recognition in the report that there will be no ‘quick fix’. A comprehensive and bold approach by the government is now needed to build back NHS productivity, including a focus on technology, estates and supporting and empowering staff.
At the heart of this has to be joined up policy-making that prioritises women’s health throughout their life course, and a commitment to eliminating the inequalities affecting Black, Asian and minority ethnic women. Attention to the wider contexts of women’s lives and the ‘causes of the causes’ of their ill health will be critical, and government departments must act together on the wider determinants of health.
It is critical that the needs of women and girls are at the heart of the 10-year plan for the NHS, because the evidence shows that healthy women are the cornerstone of healthy societies. Get it right for women and everyone benefits.