This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Increase funding for training and recruiting doctors with menopause expertise
The Government should increase NHS funding for training and recruiting general practitioners with expertise regarding Perimenopause and Menopause. I believe there should be a Doctor specialising within this subject available at every local General Practitioners.
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I feel there isn’t enough expertise, guidance, support and explanation of treatment options available to us within our local GPs for Perimenopause / Menopause. I find the set up to be very poor!
This is a transition ALL WOMEN will go through in their lives. We deserve to be heard and now I believe this is the time for CHANGE. Many women of all ages feel so alone they feel they have no option but to seek and pay for private consultants to gain the help and treatment needed. This is unjust. Please help!
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Related activity
Share your views on support for people experiencing menopausal symptoms
On Wednesday 9 June, Carolyn Harris MP is leading a debate on support for people experiencing menopausal symptoms.
To inform her debate, she wants to understand your insights and experiences of this issue.
She may quote your story directly during her debate.
Find out more and share your experiences here: https://houseofcommons.shorthandstories.com/support-for-people-experiencing-menopausal-symptoms/index.html
You’ll be able to watch the debate from 4.50pm on Wednesday 9 June on this page. The debate transcript and other relevant material will be accessible shortly after the debate.
The deadline for contributions is midday on Tuesday 8 June.
What are Westminster Hall debates?
Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.
Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'.
How petitioners have informed Parliament’s work on the menopause
We wanted to share a story of how petitioners, including many who signed this petition, have influenced and informed debates about the menopause in Parliament. This short, immersive story spotlights several women who signed petitions about the menopause, made their voices heard in parliamentary debates, and details some recent commitments made by the Government on this issue.
Read ‘The menopause: from petitions and parliamentary debates to Government action’: https://ukparliament.shorthandstories.com/the-menopause/index.html
For other ways you can get involved in the work of Parliament, sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/
New Women's Health Strategy published by the Government
On Wednesday 20 July the Government published the first ever Women's Health Strategy for England. This document sets out the results of the consultation the Government ran in 2021 on women's health, and the actions it is taking to improve the health of women and girls.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay MP, made a statement on the Strategy and took questions from MPs in the House of Commons, to coincide with the publication of the strategy.
The Secretary of State's statement outlined the key ambitions and elements of the Strategy. These include:
- Ensuring that women are better listened to in the NHS
- Better access to services for all women and girls
- Addressing the lack of research into women’s health conditions
- Better information and education on issues relating to women’s health
- Targeted action on specific areas such as fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, and female-specific health conditions such as endometriosis.
Actions the Government has said it will take to help achieve these goals include introducing mandatory teaching and assessment on women’s health for all graduating medical students and incoming doctors, and undertaking new research and data gathering to increase understanding of women's health issues.
You can read the Strategy in full on the UK Government website. The Strategy only covers England as government policy on health matters is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament
Sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.
MPs call for action to better support women experiencing the menopause
On Thursday 28 July, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee published a report on menopause in the workplace, which also looked at diagnosis and treatment of the menopause.
The Committee's report found that many women have no faith in their GP to diagnose accurately or provide effective treatment, and called on the Government to take action to better support women experiencing the menopause.
In its report, the Committee makes a series of recommendations to the Government, including calls to:
- launch a public health campaign on the symptoms of the menopause, its impact, and how to seek treatment and support at work
- make training on menopause a mandatory part of continuing professional development for GPs
- commit to cutting the cost of HRT, by scrapping dual prescription charges for oestrogen and progesterone
What happens next?
The Government now must respond to the Committee's report, which was published on 28 July 2022, within two months. The Committee will publish the Government’s response here on its website.
What is the Women and Equalities Committee
The Women and Equalities Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that look into the work of the Government Equalities Office (GEO).
The Women and Equalities Committee is a select committee. Find out how select committees work.
Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament
Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.
MPs debate a motion on Menopause
On Thursday 26 October, Peter Dowd MP opened a debate in Parliament on menopause. During the debate, MPs discussed the challenges of menopause, raising awareness among medical professionals and access to treatment.
What are backbench business debates?
Backbench business debates give backbenchers (MPs who aren’t ministers or shadow ministers) an opportunity to secure a debate on a topic of their choice, either in the Chamber or Westminster Hall.
MPs can make a request for a debate to the Backbench Business Committee, who hears and decides which debates to schedule.
Backbench debates can either be general debates (which do not end in a vote) or be on a substantive motion (which calls for an action and can end in a vote). This debate was a general debate.
Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament
Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.