‘Greater awareness of women’s health should always be encouraged’ says College Chair

College Chair Kamila Hawthorne responds to the latest report from the Women and Equalities Committee on reproductive health conditions - endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “It’s never easy to hear when any patient reports feeling as though they haven't been taken seriously by healthcare professionals, and it's clear from this report that this is how many women do feel. So, first and foremost it is vital that more is done to address this and ensure women are getting timely and appropriate care.

"GPs understand how hard it can be living with health conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding, and how concerning and frustrating it is for patients to have to wait to get answers or access to specialist care and treatment that could really make a difference to their health.

“Unfortunately, these conditions can often be difficult to definitively diagnose in primary care because of the significant variation in the severity and presentation of symptoms that women experience. This is why greater awareness, as well as more research into treatment and management options, should always be encouraged - and we support the Committee’s recommendations that the Government invest in transforming women’s health and giving GPs protected learning time to continue training in this vital area. 

“Women’s health is already a key part of the RCGP curriculum for postgraduate training – the College has no remit over medical school curricula - which all GP registrars must demonstrate competence of in order to practise independently as a GP in the UK. Following this, GPs will undertake continued professional development throughout their career to cover the full breadth of the curriculum. To this end, the College has worked with partners, including Endometriosis UK, to develop educational resources to support GPs and other healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care for women, based on the latest evidence.” 

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.