One year on: Is Wales closing the gender pain gap?

Jules Millward

The Welsh Government announced the Women’s Health Plan, aimed at improving healthcare services for women, in December 2024. One year into its ten year run, is the strategy delivering on it promises?

First Minister Eluned Morgan said of the plan in 2024: “The first Women’s Health Plan for Wales will ensure women receive better health services throughout the course of their lives.

“Women’s health is more than gynaecology and maternal health. I want this plan to be the start of better care for women – I want women’s voices to be heard and their experiences to be recognised. It will mean women’s symptoms, whatever their condition, will no longer be overlooked or dismissed.”

State of play

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women and, because their symptoms appear differently to men, diagnosis is often delayed or missed altogether. Women are also more likely to develop autoimmune diseases, making up around 75% of people with these conditions.

Gender disparity in healthcare is not limited to physical ailments. Autism Spectrum Disorder is diagnosed around three times more often in boys than girls, as girls often do not exhibit behaviours typically associated with the condition.

Many women also delay seeking care or minimise their symptoms, particularly during periods of care-giving such as pregnancy and early motherhood.

In Wales, women live longer than men on average, but spend more of their later years in poor health. Postcode inequality also plays a major role, with a 17-year difference in life expectancy between women in deprived and less deprived areas.

The WHP intended to make steps toward closing these gaps, with almost 60 actions across eight priority areas to improve healthcare for women.

Additionally, £750,000 was allocated for research into women’s health conditions, and ‘health hubs’ were promised across Wales by 2026.

Dedicated services

The funding call for the research into health conditions opened in April 2025 and Healthcare Research Wales invested around £3 million to establish a national Women’s Health Research Centre.

The centre is designed to co-ordinate women’s health research across Wales, with its first projects due to be selected later this year.

When it comes to localised service through health hubs, however, only one has opened thus far. The pathfinder hub at Hywell Dda Health Board became operational in January 2026.

The hub brings together services such as menopause support, contraception, menstrual health and gynaecology advice, intending to make women’s health services easier to access.

By the end of March 2026, the aim was to have physical, virtual, or multi-site hubs across every health board in Wales.

Online services

Some virtual support has gone live through NHS Wales, including a period dignity map tool launched in 2025.

The tool forms part of a wider effort alongside the Bloody Brilliant campaign and new school resources being introduced to encourage conversations about menstruation.

The Women’s Health Network is also collaborating with key stakeholders to develop a sustainable plan to improve access to safe and timely abortion care.

Training

Endometriosis was identified as one of the eight priority areas for the plan, affecting one in 10 women with an average diagnosis taking nine years.

Specialised endometriosis training for GPs has been introduced, delivered by Health Education and Improvement Wales, with a 43% increase in participating GPs’ knowledge of endometriosis, giving them “more confidence” in discussing and treating the condition.

Advice

While systemic changes are underway, experts like Professor Julie Cornish, consultant colorectal surgeon with the NHS, say that women can take steps to advocate for themselves when it comes to their health.

Julie founded The Every Woman Festival after being frustrated at hearing so many stories of women accepting symptoms, a poor quality of life, and being told ‘it’s just hormones’.

She said: “Talking about bowels, periods and wee is normal, not something to be ashamed or worried about.

“Remember the GP doesn’t care if they haven’t shaved, if they are on their period – if something is bothering them then the GP will want to know and help.”

Julie advised that women can write down their main symptoms in order of how much they are bothering them, think about what they want from the consultation, and make sure that this is communicated.

She added: “You know your body best, and if you want answers and don’t feel you have them, then ask for another opinion.

“Think about the one thing that you want to know or get from the GP – i.e. how do I know this isn’t cancer? Is there something that can be done to help control my symptoms?”

When asked the single most important thing a woman can do to make sure they’re heard and taken seriously, Julie added: “It’s important to keep respect on both sides of the relationship with your GP. Often people are frustrated because they have been waiting a long time, or don’t feel heard, but sometimes the system can be the problem, not the individual.

“But remember, just because something is common, doesn’t mean that it is normal, and that there isn’t a treatment out there.

“Age and having a baby are not reasons to just accept symptoms or problems.”