Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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625. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the work of the Women's Health Taskforce; the members of the taskforce; the number of times it has met since it was established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44981/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Progressing women’s health is a priority for this Government. We made a strong commitment to Promoting Women’s Health in the Programme for Government and are fully committed to the development and improvement of Women’s Health services and to working with women and girls to improve their health across the whole life cycle.

Underscoring the government’s commitment to Women’s Health has been the establishment of a Women’s Health Taskforce in September 2019 to improve both health outcomes and experiences of healthcare for women and girls. The members of the Taskforce meet regularly, with its fourteenth meeting held this week on September 15th.

The Taskforce is an important element of the Department's response to the Scally Review Recommendation 2 which stated that the Minister should give consideration to"how women’s health issues can be given more consistent, expert and committed attention within the health system and the Department of Health."

The Taskforce is chaired by the Director of the European Institute for Women’s Health (EIWH), Peggy Maguire, with more than 30 members from all grades and divisions within the Department of Health working in partnership with members from stakeholder organisations as follows:

- senior members of the HSE including the National Women and Infants’ Health Programme

- National Women’s Council of Ireland

- Irish College of General Practitioners

- Institute of Public Health

- Dept. Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Full membership can be found in the attached document.

The Women’s Health Taskforce continues to work with the National Women’s Council of Ireland and the European Institute of Women’s Health to prioritise different issues each year with the aim of improving women’s health outcomes and experiences of healthcare. Critical to this work is the process of listening to women - the Taskforce has so far listened to, engaged with and worked with more than 1,000 women and hundreds of organisations representing women and girls across the country.

Based on this information, the Taskforce has developed proposals to improve supports for gynaecological health, mental health, physical activity, and menopause all of which are rolling out this year and next year.

Budget 2021 has provided a dedicated €5million Women’s Health Fund to implement a programme of actions arising from the work of the Taskforce. The first three proposals to be supported under the Women's Health Fund are:

Two community-based Ambulatory Gynaecology Services in Tallaght and Limerick/Nenagh, with an associated cost of €1.415million

The provision of two community-based Ambulatory Gynaecology Services governed by two acute hospitals (Tallaght University Hospital, and University Maternity Hospital Limerick, though located in Nenagh General Hospital) under the banner of the Women’s Health Taskforce. This project, with an associated cost of €1.415m, will see the establishment of one-stop “see and treat” gynaecology clinics in the community in which women can be seen and assessed, following referral by their GP to the hospital’s general gynaecology services. This service will address a clear and identified need, as gynaecology services are acknowledged and recognised as being a service area that continues to be under significant and growing pressure. These one-stop-see-and-treat clinics will play a significant role to improve access to gynaecology, reducing waiting times and improving clinical outcomes for women.

Expansion of the endometriosis service at Tallaght University Hospital, with an associated cost of €641k.

The second area to be funded is the expansion of the endometriosis service at Tallaght University Hospital (TUH), with an associated cost of €641k, will deliver a specialist endometriosis centre for the management and treatment of all forms of endometriosis, with particular focus on advanced and complex cases for which there is no ready access in Ireland. Endometriosis is estimated to affect 1 in 10 women and represents one of the top four categories of symptoms that comprise approximately 80% of gynaecology referrals. The provision of a secure, supported, expanded and specialist service in Tallaght University Hospital will help to improve both clinical outcomes and overall care experience for women suffering from this debilitating condition.

Establishment of dedicated specialist menopause clinics across Ireland, with an associated cost of €157,000

The third area to be funded are dedicated specialist menopause clinics, which will form a core part of a new approach to menopause care for women in Ireland and will be supported by enhanced community and primary care supports as well as the publication of targeted and trusted sources of information for women experiencing menopause.

The first phase of change will include the development of a dedicated specialist clinic, in the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street this year. The clinic will be multidisciplinary supported by GPs with a certified special interest in the area of menopause and clinical nurse/midwife specialists. In addition to seeing women who meet the clinical criteria for referral to the service, the clinical team will also provide advice and guidance to GPs in the community to support the effective management of menopausal symptoms for women closer to home within primary care.

Radical Listening

In addition, a Radical Listening exercise was conducted to hear the voices of women on their health, to understand their perspectives on health and wellbeing, how those perspectives were shaped, and to understand the forces that shape health outcomes for women. A report of the ‘radical listening’ exercise was published this week on Tuesday September 14th.

Led by independent researchers, over 270 women participated in these discussions from all over Ireland, sharing their experiences of, and wishes for, the Irish health system. The research was carried out in three stages, beginning in mid-2020 and finishing in June 2021, involving social and media listening; hearing women’s stories and experiences, and national workshops with women.

The report is the result of a priority project for the Women’s Health Taskforce and provides invaluable insight into women’s experiences of healthcare in Ireland. Women highlight some really positive experiences but also important issues that they want to see improved in particular around information, respect, and access.

Engagement is ongoing with Dept. of Health and HSE stakeholders to finalise further activities to be implemented under the Women’s Health Fund in 2021. A number of proposals are in different stages of finalisation and approval, which will be announced shortly and which will consolidate and drive impact for women in the coming months.

A 2022 plan for women’s health is in development, informed by the available evidence and engagement with women across the country, key stakeholders, clinicians, and advocates for women’s health through the Women’s Health Taskforce. It is intended the plan will be brought to Government and published later this year.

Appendix 1 - Name of Members: