By Jayne Connery, Director & Founder, Care Campaign for the Vulnerable
The NHS’s Women’s Health Strategy represents a welcome and necessary shift in focus. It acknowledges what many across health and social care have long recognised – that women’s health has not always been given the consistent attention it requires.
However, as with any strategy, its success will ultimately be measured not by intention, but by implementation. Nowhere is this more important than within care settings, where a significant proportion of residents are older women living with complex and often overlapping health needs.
In care homes across the UK, the realities of women’s health are evident every day. Many residents are living with dementia alongside frailty, multiple long-term conditions, and age-related health challenges. These often include osteoporosis, continence issues, chronic pain, sensory loss, and the long-term effects of menopause. These are not peripheral considerations—they are central to the quality and safety of care being delivered.
Despite this, women’s health in care can still be inconsistently understood or addressed. It is sometimes treated as an additional layer, rather than an integral part of care planning and delivery. This is where the opportunity lies.
If the ambitions of the NHS Women’s Health Strategy are to be realised, they must extend fully into the care sector. This means ensuring that care staff are supported with the knowledge, training, and confidence to recognise and respond to the specific health needs of older women. It also requires a more joined-up approach between health and social care, so that care homes are not working in isolation when managing complex conditions.
Importantly, it calls for a shift in perspective. Older women in care should not be viewed solely through the lens of age or diagnosis. They are individuals with distinct health histories, experiences, and needs that deserve to be understood in their own right. Person-centred care, when delivered properly, must include an informed and consistent understanding of women’s health.
There is also a broader cultural point to consider. In a sector already under pressure, with workforce challenges and increasing demand, it can be difficult to prioritise areas that are not always immediately visible. However, getting the fundamentals of women’s health right is not about adding complexity – it is about improving the quality of everyday care.
We know that small changes in understanding can have a significant impact. Recognising pain that may otherwise go unreported, understanding behavioural changes linked to discomfort or underlying conditions, and supporting dignity in personal care all contribute to better outcomes for residents and a more confident workforce.
The care sector has shown time and again its ability to adapt and evolve. The introduction of new approaches, technologies, and ways of working demonstrates that progress is possible when there is clarity of purpose. The NHS Women’s Health Strategy provides that direction. The next step is to ensure it translates into meaningful, practical change within care settings.
This is not about creating something new. It is about strengthening what should already be in place- good, informed, person-centred care that recognises the whole individual.
For older women living in care, it shapes their experience, their dignity, and ultimately, their quality of life.
There is a clear opportunity here for the sector to lead, to align with national strategy, and to ensure that women’s health is fully embedded into the standards of care we strive to deliver every day.
