Women across Wales are beginning to benefit from improved access to vital healthcare services following the launch of the first women’s health hubs this week.
The new hubs bring key services – including menopause care, contraception and menstrual health support – closer to communities, with a commitment that every health board in Wales will have a women’s health hub in place by March.
Designed around a holistic approach to women’s health, the hubs will be tailored to local needs. Some will operate across multiple physical sites, while others will offer online and virtual services, but all will follow the same core principles of accessibility, integration and patient‑centred care.
The women’s health hubs aim to improve access to care through:
- Extended clinics
- Education sessions
- Online guidance and signposting
Crucially, the hubs have been designed with women, ensuring services fit around women’s lives. Some services will be open access, while others will be referral‑based, depending on local arrangements and clinical need.
Today Sarah Murphy, Minister with responsibility for Women’s Health, is visiting the first pilot hub at Padarn Surgery in Aberystwyth, operated by Hywel Dda University Health Board.
Commenting on the move, Murphy said:
“Women’s health hubs will make it easier for women in Wales to get care when they need it and bring that care closer to home.
“The two very different provisions I will have visited in Swansea and Aberystwyth over the past week reflect the wide variety of ways health boards are meeting the brief of tackling health inequalities and making sure women’s symptoms are not dismissed.
“As the pathfinder hubs, and the new services linked to them, are rolled out we’ll be listening to women’s feedback and adapting to make sure we are building a health service which meets the needs of women and girls, now and for generations to come.”
The Aberystwyth clinic is GP‑ and nurse‑led, offering menopause, menstrual health and contraception services alongside established pelvic physiotherapy and bladder and bowel nurse‑led services. In time, women living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire will also be able to access a virtual multidisciplinary platform linked to the board’s women’s health hubs.
The rollout builds on existing and emerging services elsewhere in Wales. Last week, the Minister attended an open pelvic floor physiotherapy session for women in Swansea, delivered in the community as part of the virtual women’s health hub being developed by Swansea Bay University Health Board.
These community‑based services are designed to reduce barriers to care and provide earlier support for conditions that can have a significant impact on women’s quality of life.
The women’s health hubs form a key part of the Women’s Health Plan for Wales, published last year. Developed by the National Strategic Clinical Network for Women’s Health, part of NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, the plan sets out how health services will work to close the gender health gap.
The plan includes more than 60 actions across eight priority areas, informed by feedback from around 4,000 women across Wales. Its focus is on ensuring women are listened to, their health needs are better understood, and services are improved across every stage of life.
Each health board has received an additional £300,000 this financial year to support the development of the pathfinder women’s health hubs. The hubs will be evaluated later this year to inform future rollout and long‑term service planning.
Health leaders say the initiative represents a significant step forward in delivering more responsive, accessible and joined‑up healthcare for women across Wales.
Image credit: iStock
