The next UK Government has an opportunity to set out an ambitious vision for women’s health. Dr Ranee Thakar, RCOG President, responds to the publication of the Conservative, Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat party manifestos published this week.
“The College set out five key asks for the next UK government that we believe will make the biggest difference for women and girls and our membership, and were pleased to see some of these reflected in party manifestos published this week. We welcome the Labour and the Conservative parties’ commitment to prioritise women’s health, including Labour’s promise to put women’s equality at the heart of their mission, as the RCOG has strongly advocated for a cross-government approach to women’s health.
“We welcome the Conservative manifesto commitment to continuing to implement the Women’s Health Strategy and expand women’s health hubs. The College has long-campaigned for these, and the next UK government must invest in healthcare professional training and development to deliver high-quality women’s healthcare through a sustainable hub model.
“Every pregnant women and birthing person deserves safe, compassionate and personalised maternity care and the next government must implement fully funded policies and programmes to ensure this is the case. Women should be fully supported to make informed choices about where and how they plan to give birth, with their individual needs and preferences at the heart of their care.
“We are calling for ring-fenced funding and a time-limited target to end the higher risk of maternal mortality among Black, Asian and ethnic minority women, and for women living in more deprived areas. We warmly welcome the focus on reducing the disproportionately high maternal mortality rates for Black women and eliminating racial disparities in maternal health in the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative manifestos.
“The College has been campaigning to reduce NHS gynaecology waiting lists since 2022, recognising the number of women on waiting lists is double that of pre-pandemic levels. We welcome the focus in the Labour, Conservative and Green party manifestos to cut NHS waiting times. The next government must prioritise gynaecology, which has consistently outstripped growth compared to other specialties, in elective care recovery plans. The Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England should set up a joint taskforce to address this.
“The College has also campaigned for the decriminalisation of abortion, and support the Liberal Democrat policy to protect everyone’s right to make independent decisions over their reproductive health without interference by the state. We also welcome the policy to enforce safe access zones around abortion clinics and hospitals, included in the Public Order Act but yet to commence. It is disappointing that no party has committed to parliamentary time to reform abortion laws, and the College will continue to lobby for this.
“As a global College, we campaign for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) around the world and call on the next government to prioritise SRHR within its work on gender equality and global health. We welcome the Liberal Democrat and Conservative foreign policy focus on extending reproductive rights and ending female genital mutilation but the next government must go further and increase SRHR spending to 5% of the Official Development Assistance budget.
“Women make up 51% of the population, yet women’s health has historically been left behind and investment in services has been inadequate and fragmented. The RCOG will continue to advocate at the highest levels for the needs of women and girls, and our members, to be at the heart of the next Government’s policies.”
- Read more about our vision for women’s healthcare for the next government here.