Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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535. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to address health issues arising for women experiencing perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause; his views on the significant impact menopause in all its stages can have on the health of many women and the significant financial costs incurred by women trying to manage a wide range of debilitating symptoms and issues during this phase of their lives; if there are plans to put in place a dedicated programme for women and health professionals to educate and address health and associated issues experienced by women during all stages of menopause; if there are plans to address the financial costs incurred by women during the menopausal phase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49442/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Government recognises that menopause is a key health issue for women in Ireland today, and work is underway to drive progress in this area which is being driven by the Women’s Health Taskforce. The Taskforce was convened in September 2019, to improve health outcomes and health experiences for women and girls.

The issue of menopause has also been emphasised through the nationwide “Radical Listening” exercise carried out by the Women’s Health Taskforce. This exercise enabled women across the country to share their views and experiences of the health sector and health services. This was a large-scale consultation process intended to maximise the participation of women across all life stages from 18 years upwards, including minority and disadvantaged women. 278 women participated in open interviews and workshops, where menopause was a recurring theme. Through this process, the taboo around discussing menopause, and a lack of trusted information, were consistently raised as key issues for women experiencing menopause. Minister Donnelly published a report on the findings of the ‘Radical listening’ exercise on September 14th which can be found here:

www.gov.ie/en/publication/ebe3e-significant-milestone-as-minister-donnelly-publishes-a-report-of-womens-voices-on-womens-health-following-a-radical-listening-exercise-this-year/

Minister Donnelly also recently announced his commitment to establish dedicated specialist menopause clinics across Ireland on the 10th of September. These clinics 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 menopause 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. Further details on this announcement can be found here:

www.gov.ie/en/press-release/bf7d4-minister-for-health-announces-a-new-approach-to-menopause-care-for-women-in-ireland/

Additional activity underway and planned in the area of menopause includes:‎

GP training is a key aspect of women receiving the best care through menopause. The Irish College of GPs are active members of the Women's Health Taskforce and continue to be engaged on how women's health can be better considered within the primary care setting. Relevant activity includes the collaboration between ICGP and the British Menopause Society to develop training in menopause management, which is currently in place; a recent ICGP Women’s Health Webinar on menopause and endometriosis which was held in June 2021 and had 1567 attendees; and a GP Education course which was established in September 2021 in the area of Community Gynaecology Course which includes menopause as a topic. The Minister has outlined his support for a new ICGP post of Clinical Lead for Women’s Health in General Practice, the first such post in Ireland. This is currently being progressed and will enable the development of a comprehensive life-course approach to women’s health in General Practice.‎‎‎‎ • A number of health topics relating to women's health, including menopause, have recently been updated and are now live on the HSE A-Z. This information is an important first step towards delivering enhanced information and education on menopause; and

The Healthy Workplace Framework is due to be published in the coming months. Following publication, an Implementation Group will be established with responsibility for developing an action plan. A representative from Women’s Health will be included on the Implementation Group to ensure the needs of women in the workplace are incorporated. This has particular reference to increased awareness of menopause within the workplace.

In addition to the activity outlined above, menopause will continue to be a priority for the Women's Health Taskforce for 2021 and 2022. The Government is committed to improving the health experience of women through the menopause.