Debate contribution: Women’s Health Strategy

Debate contribution by Mrs Diane Dodds on 16 March 2026.

MLA

Mrs Diane Dodds

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

16 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Women’s Health Strategy

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5449059

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the proposer of this important motion. It is a pity that the motion has been moved when the Health Minister is not here to respond to the debate, because we need to have answers from the Minister. One of the first debates in which I spoke following the restoration of the institutions was on this exact issue: a strategy and action plan for women's health. It has been two years since that debate, and little has changed in the interim. The issues of women's health and the inequalities in accessing healthcare are regularly discussed in the Chamber. It is very frustrating that so little has happened to take away the structural inequalities or to even put in place a coherent plan to deal with them. Where are the strategy and the action plan that were promised in February 2024? On 13 February 2024, the Department of Health released a media statement entitled "Minister Swann outlines Women’s Health Action Plan", which stated that the:

"Women’s Health Action Plan is being developed by the Department of Health ... covering the next three years".

Two of those years have now elapsed, and there is still no sign of an action plan or a strategy. The Minister often reminds us that he is not that fond of strategies, because we have plenty of those, and nothing is happening, but we do not even have an action plan. Until we start to plan for how to deal with the structural inequalities in women's health, we will not get to the nub of dealing with them. That is an important point that I want the Assembly to take on board.

At the weekend, I looked up the most up-to-date waiting times in the South Eastern Trust. For gynaecology, for example, the wait for a routine first outpatient appointment was 112 weeks. After waiting for 112 weeks, there was a subsequent wait before being admitted for treatment of 139 weeks. That is a wait of almost five years from first being placed on a waiting list to admission for treatment. Waiting times in the Northern Trust and the Belfast Trust are significantly longer. Shamefully — I take no pleasure in saying this — a woman can wait almost 10 years for a diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis. Importantly, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said:

"Endometriosis can have significant impacts on every aspect of women’s lives – and timely diagnosis is crucial to ensuring that treatment and wider support can be in place to limit the progression of disease and manage symptoms."

We can only conclude that nothing is happening in Northern Ireland in line with that guidance and advice from the royal college. We should all reflect on that. Where is the response to Getting It Right First Time's review of gynaecology that was published in 2024? I am particularly interested in one of the recommendations in the report that mentioned women's health hubs. Those have been rolled out in England as part of the women's health strategy. The contrast between what is provided here and in England is quite significant. Dr Janet Barter, head of Tower Hamlets women's health hub, described the service that they provide:

"Women can have a scan and a biopsy all on the same day at the Tower Hamlet hub and can return to speak to someone about their results – within 12 hours."

Also:

"Hormone Replacement Therapy ... and counselling were provided under one roof."

Colleagues, compare that with the disjointed and delayed service that women in Northern Ireland experience. The mover of the motion referred to the British Heart Foundation's heart attack gender gap research that concludes that women are under-aware of coronary heart disease, under-diagnosed and under-treated by their GPs. I want to finish by saying that I spoke in the debate two years ago about the cervical smear scandal in the Southern Trust.

Yes, I will. Thank, Mr Deputy Speaker. That still has not been resolved, which is shameful.

665 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:13 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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