What women want from healthcare
Women make up just over half of the population, and across their lives most will need support for female related conditions such as heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, or peri and menopausal symptoms. They will also be regularly invited over four decades for cervical screening and, later in life, breast screening.
Women’s health involves many different services, from GP appointments and pharmacy advice to maternity care, screening programmes and specialist support. Yet too many women say that accessing the right help, at the right time, can still be difficult. Some report long waits for appointments, uncertainty about where to go for information and advice, or feeling that their concerns are not always fully heard. Some say that they have to constantly repeat themselves, which makes them feel like they're not always listened to, or that healthcare services don't properly communicate between departments.
In recent years, there has been growing discussion nationally about how women’s experiences in healthcare are recognised and understood. Listening to women’s experiences is an important part of improving services and ensuring people receive the care and support they need.
New research from Healthwatch England explores what women say matters most when they seek healthcare, and highlights the difference that feeling listened to can make to people’s experiences of services.
National research on women’s health
The findings come as the Government prepares to refresh the Women's Health Strategy for England. First published in 2022, it sets out a ten year ambition to improve how health and care services support women throughout their lives, including areas such as menstrual health, contraception, menopause and cancer screening.
To understand what women want from health services, Healthwatch England asked for a national survey to be carried out by an organisation called YouGov. More than 6,000 adults took part, including over 3,000 women.
In the survey, 60% of women said they had used at least one women’s health service in the past two years, such as cervical screening, contraception advice or menopause support.
What the findings show
The research found that 15% of women say they never feel listened to, or feel listened to less than half the time during healthcare appointments. Women who did not feel listened to were also significantly more likely to report dissatisfaction with their most recent appointment.
Across all age groups, the most important priority women identified for future services was having healthcare professionals who listen and take their concerns seriously. Access to staff with training and knowledge in women’s health was also highlighted as a key priority.
Satisfaction with care was strongly linked to whether women felt listened to. For example, 74% of women who were satisfied with their most recent appointment said they felt listened to most or all of the time.
Healthwatch organisations across England also hear from women who say they have had to push repeatedly for help, had symptoms dismissed, or struggled to access the right support.
Women’s health in North Yorkshire
In North Yorkshire, women live on average to around 84 years, slightly higher than the England average.
Around 78% of eligible women attend cervical screening, compared with around 71% nationally. However, the county’s large rural geography can make access to services more challenging for some people.
Around one in four residents in North Yorkshire are aged 65 or over, higher than the national average, which also highlights the importance of accessible health services for women throughout later life.
Healthwatch North Yorkshire continues to listen to women’s experiences of health and social care services locally to help highlight where services work well and where improvements may be needed. We are currently exploring alcohol use and midlife women’s health, with findings expected to be published by June 2026.
Find out more
Read the full article from Healthwatch England to explore the findings in more detail and what women say needs to change in healthcare services.
