Government publishes renewed Women’s Health Strategy: What’s Been Promised

The UK government has published the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, setting out a 10-year plan to improve women’s health outcomes, access to care and patient experience.

As health is devolved, this strategy applies to England only. We will continue to report on any developments in women’s health strategies across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A renewed focus on maternity safety and inequalities

The strategy places a clear emphasis on improving safety and outcomes in maternity care, particularly for groups experiencing the poorest outcomes.

This includes a commitment to:

-Act on findings from the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation

-Support the work of the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce

-Set a specific ambition to reduce maternal mortality inequalities, including for Black and Asian women

The strategy acknowledges that current outcomes remain unequal, with longstanding disparities in both maternal and neonatal health.

 

Listening to women: a central theme

A key theme throughout the strategy is the need to improve how the NHS listens to women, including during pregnancy and maternity care.

Planned actions include:

-Introducing patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) in maternity services

-Expanding the use of patient feedback in quality improvement and accountability

-Strengthening mechanisms for women’s voices to influence national and local decision-making

The strategy recognises that failures to listen to women and families have been a consistent factor in reviews of maternity care.

 

Improving care between and around pregnancies

The strategy places greater emphasis on care before, between and after pregnancies, particularly for those at higher risk of poor outcomes.

This includes plans to:

-Develop improved preconception care, especially for marginalised communities

-Create a national approach to care between pregnancies, with a focus on reducing inequalities

-Expand perinatal mental health and parent-infant support through local services

These changes aim to improve outcomes not only during pregnancy, but across the wider maternity journey.

 

Pregnancy loss and bereavement care

The strategy outlines several commitments to improve care for families experiencing pregnancy and baby loss.

These include:

-A review of care for recurrent miscarriage, with consideration of a graded model of support

-Continued implementation of the National Bereavement Care Pathway

-Investment in bereavement facilities within NHS trusts

-Introduction of protected bereavement leave, including for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks

There is also a commitment to improve consistency and quality of bereavement care across services.

 

Access to reproductive and maternity-related services

The strategy includes wider commitments that may impact maternity care, including:

-Improving access to contraception, including post-pregnancy support

-Strengthening preconception health and family planning services

-Improving access to fertility services

-Supporting more joined-up care across sexual and reproductive health services

These measures are intended to support women to make informed choices about if and when to have children, and to improve health outcomes before pregnancy.

 

Digital services and personalised care

The strategy sets out a broader shift towards digital and personalised healthcare, which will also affect maternity services.

This includes:

-Expansion of the NHS App to support communication, care planning and access to services

-Development of NHS Online, including pathways relevant to women’s health

-Greater use of data to support early intervention and personalised care

 

What this means in practice

The strategy outlines a number of commitments relevant to maternity care, particularly in relation to:

-Safety and quality of care

-Reducing inequalities in outcomes

-Listening to women and acting on their experiences

-Improving support before, during and after pregnancy

However, many of these actions are:

-Planned over the next 1–10 years

-Dependent on implementation at local level

-Linked to ongoing reviews and investigations

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England sets out a broad programme of reform, with maternity care identified as a key area for improvement. The strategy acknowledges ongoing challenges in maternity safety, inequalities and patient experience, and outlines a series of actions aimed at addressing these issues over time. The extent to which these commitments lead to meaningful change will depend on how they are delivered across the NHS in practice.