The CSP has called for a guarantee that the national commitments set out in the current Women’s Health Strategy – such as adolescent pelvic health, perinatal pelvic health services (PPHS), and the development of women’s health hubs – will be protected in the review.  

The renewed strategy will set out how the government will take the next steps to improve women’s healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women’s experiences and tackles the inequalities they face.  

 As part of the renewal, which will be published next year, the government will look to identify specific barriers in access to healthcare and set out concrete action to remove them. 

Although the strategy is still in development, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has emphasised that issues such as waiting times, pain management, and treatment for reproductive conditions such as endometriosis must be addressed. 

Sara Hazzard, assistant director at the CSP and co-chair of the Community Rehab Alliance said: 

The renewal of this strategy presents a further opportunity to build on the current Women’s Health strategy and recognise the vital role that physiotherapy staff play in providing specialised care and in supporting women throughout their life course. 

‘We have made recommendations together with the Pelvic, Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy network, to improve women’s access to healthcare and address inequalities and our calls align with the objectives of the renewed strategy.  

‘We will be urging the Government to ensure Women’s Health Hubs make equality of access a core outcome, with focused outreach to marginalised communities.’  

‘There must be ringfenced and recurrent funding for women’s health services and a commitment to physiotherapy staff as a core part of the strategy when it is published next year.’ 

The CSP and Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy have previously contributed evidence on women’s health to the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan consultation and most recently the parliamentary inquiry on reproductive health conditions. 

Lucia Berry, Chair of the POGP, added: 

‘The renewal of the Women’s Health Strategy is an important opportunity to ensure pelvic health physiotherapy remains central to improving outcomes for women and girls. However, we continue to see rising demand without matching investment in the workforce.

‘Funding for perinatal pelvic health services has not always been used to build sustainable models of care, and new services are often established without sufficient support, training, or backfill for staff stepping into advanced roles. This risks reducing the overall capacity of the workforce delivering women’s health care.

‘At POGP, we urge the government and local systems to prioritise sustained investment and workforce planning at management level to ensure these essential services can develop and thrive, delivering equitable, high-quality care across the life course.’

For further information on our response to the current Women’s Health Strategy, click here.