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

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

Zoe Trafford, a hairdresser in Liverpool, once played the role of a confidant for her customers. But she found herself in a situation where the dynamic shifted—her clients became the ones offering support, while she struggled to have her concerns acknowledged. Since her teenage years, Zoe has lived with endometriosis, a condition that causes intense pain and heavy bleeding. For years, doctors dismissed her symptoms as simply “bad periods,” despite her insistence that the pain was anything but normal.

“You’ll be alright, it’s just normal,” she said doctors would tell her. “But it’s not normal – I don’t think being in pain is normal.”

After years of being overlooked, Zoe’s condition reached a critical point. She underwent major surgery, losing her womb and part of her bowel, and now relies on a small tube to manage her bladder. Four years after the Conservative government’s 2022 strategy aimed to “radically improve” how the health system engages with women, the Labour administration has launched an updated version. Yet for Zoe, the outcome has not improved. She describes her ongoing struggle with complications and the lack of support she still receives.

The revised plan emerges amid growing frustration that women’s experiences remain undervalued within the NHS. Health Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged this, stating that some women feel like “second class citizens” due to their pain being treated as an inconvenience and symptoms dismissed as overreactions. “It’s clear the system is failing women,” he added.

BBC analysis highlights the scale of the issue, revealing that the number of women waiting for gynaecological procedures in England has doubled since February 2020, reaching over half a million (565,000) by January 2026. While waiting lists for other planned treatments have also risen, the increase is less dramatic—58%. The new strategy includes a “patient power payment” scheme, designed to collect feedback on care experiences and direct funding to areas needing improvement.

Alongside this, the government has introduced a streamlined referral system to reduce delays in connecting patients with the right specialists. A new standard of care will also ensure women receive adequate pain management during invasive procedures. However, experts argue that these measures fall short. Dr Alison Wright, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, praised the plan but noted that the situation for women remains “deeply concerning” despite commitments on waiting times.

Others, like the Royal Osteoporosis Society, question whether the strategy addresses broader systemic gaps. The society points out that no national plan for specialist services exists for osteoporosis, a condition affecting half of women over 50, despite earlier promises. Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and society ambassador, warned that around 2,000 lives are at risk each year without a clear action plan. Emma Cox of Endometriosis UK emphasized that diagnosis times exceeding nine years are “totally unacceptable” and called for a detailed roadmap to deliver on these pledges.

In Scotland, phase two of a women’s health plan was recently unveiled, building on the 2021 initiative to ensure timely access to gynaecological care. Wales, meanwhile, introduced its own strategy in 2024, aiming to “close the gender health gap by pro…”