‘I’m not being listened to’ – new health plan launched as women say they are still ignored

For years, women have walked out of GP surgeries feeling dismissed, talked over, and sent home with a leaflet. Now the government says it’s listening. But forgive women across the country for raising an eyebrow.

A new Women’s Health Strategy action plan has been published, setting out fresh commitments to improve how the NHS diagnoses and treats conditions that disproportionately affect women and girls. The plans cover everything from endometriosis and menopause care to mental health support and maternity services.

On paper, it sounds promising. In practice, women who’ve spent years fighting for a diagnosis say they’ve heard it all before.

“I spent six years being told my pain was stress,” said one woman who was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis at 34. “Every time a new plan gets announced, I think, great, but who’s actually going to enforce it?”

That frustration isn’t unusual. Research from the Wellcome Trust found that women are 50% more likely than men to be misdiagnosed following a heart attack. Studies on chronic pain consistently show that women wait longer for treatment and are more often referred for psychological support rather than physical investigation.

The new strategy builds on commitments first made in 2022, when the government published its original Women’s Health Strategy for England. Progress since then has been patchy. More women’s health hubs are being rolled out across the country, with a target of one in every integrated care system by 2024. But campaigners point out that 24 hubs across a population of millions isn’t exactly a revolution.

There’s also the workforce question. You can publish all the strategies you like, but if there aren’t enough GPs trained in women’s health, or enough specialists to reduce waiting times, the gap between policy and reality stays wide.

“The intent is there,” one patient advocate told us. “But intent doesn’t get you a diagnosis.”

The government insists this time is different, with more funding, clearer accountability, and a stronger focus on listening to patients directly. Several NHS trusts are piloting new triage approaches specifically for gynaecological conditions, which is at least a concrete step.

Whether this plan actually shifts the dial for the women who need it most, or becomes another well-worded document gathering digital dust, will depend entirely on what happens next.