NHS Wales Archives - FTWW

Becci is a white woman with short red and orange dyed hair. She is sat in her kitchen speaking to a reporter who is off camera.

PMDD: Becci Launches Petition

August 21, 2023

FTWW members and PMDD Champions, Becci and Laura, featured on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast regarding Becci’s Senedd Petition to improve care for the condition (1.35.00 on). Becci also talked to BBC Wales News Online and BBC Wales Today. ITV’s This Morning programme also highlighted the campaign, and discussed PMDD in more detail, to help viewers understand symptoms. Watch here (from the 3.25 mark). Becci is calling for PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) to be part of core teaching for healthcare professionals in Wales, as the condition is so misunderstood and under-recognised. Please sign and share her petition, here.

Experts call for urgent mental health support for people living with long term autoimmune diseases

August 18, 2023

A new study has highlighted the shocking mismatch of clinician and patients experiences of neurological and mental health issues in people with autoimmune rheumatological conditions. More than half of patients with auto-immune conditions experience mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety, yet the majority are rarely or never asked in clinic about mental health symptoms, according to new research from the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. Read more, here.

Focus on Menopause: #Flushfest23 and the second All-Wales Menopause Conference

August 17, 2023

Join #FlushFest23 in Edinburgh or online on 8 and 9 September, for a festival full of menopause advice, fun, storytelling, wellbeing workshops and much more. See the full programme and buy tickets here. We’d also like to remind you that the second All-Wales Menopause Conference takes place in November. This one is also hybrid, and will welcome renowned national and international speakers, shining a light on topics such as menopause and cardiovascular, bone, and mental health, menopause in the workplace, and the role of testosterone. FTWW is pleased to be facilitating the involvement of expert patients. Find more information and buy…

Llais: First 100 Days

August 16, 2023

Since April 2023 the people of Wales have had a new independent body to help shape health and social care services. Llais has been set up by the Welsh Government to raise the power and influence of the voices of people living in Wales, and we regularly recommend them to members of our community who feel a struggle to be heard. FTWW is delighted to be having regular meetings with them to discuss ‘all things women’s health’. In the meantime, you can read about their first 100 days, here.

Endometriosis.Cymru Update

July 14, 2023

FTWW is excited to be working with colleagues in Cardiff University and Proper Design to expand and update the Welsh Government and NHS-funded Endometriosis Cymru website. We’ll be developing information about Wales’s endometriosis services, the social model of disability, and how to access further support outside of healthcare settings, as well as ensuring that the website is accessible and available in an Easy Read format. Watch this space for further updates and involvement opportunities!

A picture of an intrauterine device (IUD), otherwise known as the coil

The BMJ: Intrauterine devices (IUDs) and pain

July 10, 2023

The BMJ Opinion: We must validate the painful experiences of many women using intrauterine devices FTWW volunteer, Lucy, and the Women’s Health Coalition were mentioned in an Opinion Piece featured in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) about the need to address women’s experiences of pain, trauma, and lack of informed consent when having minor gynae procedures. The article, written by Stephanie O’Donohue from Patient Safety Learning, responds to Davina McCall’s documentary Pill Revolution, which Stephanie argues missed an opportunity to validate painful experiences of intrauterine devices and promote better practice. Read more here.

Endometriosis Action Month

Endometriosis and The Women & Girls’ Health Plan

April 3, 2023

March was Endometriosis Action Month, and we were delighted to join forced with our friends at Endometriosis UK to host a virtual event, chaired by Jenny Rathbone MS, on Thursday 23rd March. The focus of the event was on the NHS Wales and Welsh Government Women and Girls’ Health Plan for Wales and was an opportunity to hear from a guest panel of experts and patients who discussed what they would like to see included in the Plan, which is currently under development and due for publication this year. You can watch the event back here.

#EmbracingEquity in female health – Our blog for WCVA

March 8, 2023

Thanks to WCVA for featuring our International Women’s Day blog, which explores the need to #EmbraceEquity in Health in Wales. FTWW’s members describe many & varied barriers to accessing optimum healthcare; our aim is to raise awareness and offer solutions! Read it here: https://wcva.cymru/views/embracingequity-in-female-health/

Endo March is BACK!

February 28, 2023

Worldwide EndoMarch is coming to Wales again. Cardiff will be the location for the South Wales event, with the march taking place on Sunday 26th March. We will be marching through the streets of Cardiff with the hope of promoting awareness for endometriosis, and the need for faster diagnosis, greater education, and more funds for research into better treatments and an eventual cure. Find out more and book your space here.

The Senedd building in Cardiff Bay

Members of the Senedd Echo FTWW Calls

January 28, 2023

We were encouraged this month to hear Members of the Senedd echo FTWW’s calls around Women’s Health during recent plenary sessions. On the 18th January, Heledd Fychan MS raised concerns around the gender health gap, lack of investment in female health, intersectionality and the impact of the pandemic on women’s health to the Health Minister in a question a bout the Women’s Health Plan. Plenary 18/01/2023 – Welsh Parliament (senedd.wales) Rhun ap Iorwerth MS also asked questions about the WHSSC’s suggested changes to fertility services in Wales, echoing concerns around the consultation and the risk of removing access to those…

An Asian woman is having a mammogram, supported by a white female medical professional

Welsh Government Publishes Women’s Health ‘Discovery Document’

January 21, 2023

As part of the Welsh Government’s work on the Women’s Health Plan, officials have released a ‘Discovery’ document, highlighting the work undertaken so far to understand the needs of women in Wales by asking what matters to them. As co-chairs of the Women’s Health Wales Coalition, which is made up of over 80 third sector organisations, Royal colleges, clinicians, and patients, we remain concerned that co-production with patients and public is properly embedded in all work related to the Women’s Health Plan and that Coalition members’ expertise is utilised throughout. This month we met with Welsh Government officials to share these concerns…

an IUD (coil) lies on a blue, pink and yellow background

ITV Wales News Covers Contraception Delays

August 12, 2022

There are concerns women are at risk of unwanted pregnancies in some parts of Wales due to “significant” delays within sexual health services, as reported by ITV Wales. FTWW told ITV News that it is “vital” that women are able to access the treatment they need “as soon as possible”. “’It’s important to realise that these devices can be used both for contraception and relief of symptoms from gynaecological health conditions. Issues like pelvic pain and heavy bleeding can have a really significant and detrimental impact on women’s lives and we know that many of those affected can find it…

Welsh Government Publishes its Quality Statement for Women and Girls’ Health

July 7, 2022

Tuesday, 5th July saw the Welsh Government publish its Quality Statement for Women & Girls’ Health which, we’re pleased to say, very much echoes the report published in May by the #WomensHealthWales Coalition, co-chaired by FTWW and British Heart Foundation Cymru. The Welsh Government’s Quality Statement is designed to provide all 7 health boards in Wales with its expectations of what good quality health services for women and girls should look like. Over the summer, the Welsh Government will embark on a range of engagement activities to co-produce a 10-year ‘action plan’ to achieve those expectations. We will keep you posted on how you…

presenter Alex, who has long dark straight hair and is wearing a pink jumper, speaks to Endometriosis specialist Richard Penketh, who is wearing green clinical scrubs. He is showing her endometriosis tissue on a laptop screen

ITV Wales This Week: Living In Pain – documentary shines spotlight on Endometriosis crisis in Wales

April 28, 2022

A number of FTWW volunteers and supporters featured in Alexandra Hartley’s documentary for ITV Wales This Week: Living In Pain, which covered the issues facing endometriosis patients in Wales – including a lack of specialists and access to them, long waiting times for surgery, and the average diagnosis time of nine years – the longest in all of the home nations. Dee, FTWW’s Engagement Officer, was interviewed for the programme and had this to say, ‘We need urgent intervention from Welsh Government…If you put ten of your female friends or…

Behind the Health Statistic

Adenomyosis Awareness Month: Behind the Health Statistic

April 14, 2022

FTWW Volunteer, Lara, hosts the Women’s Health Series of Cardiff University’s ‘Behind the Health Statistic’, and the second episode focuses on Adenomyosis – timely as April is Adenomyosis Awareness Month! Our Engagement Officer, Dee, shares her experiences of the condition, which occurs when the tissue that normally lines the uterus (endometrial tissue) grows into the muscular wall of the uterus. We’re sharing a link to Spotify, but you can find the episode – and the series – on all major podcast platforms.

Endometriosis Nurses stand with the Health Minister and Chief Nursing Officer inside the Senedd

FTWW’s Volunteers Help to Deliver Training to Wales’s Endometriosis Nurses

March 21, 2022

Thursday 17th and Friday 18th March proved to be incredibly exciting for FTWW, with 18 of our volunteers participating in a 2-day training event for Wales’s new endometriosis nurses. Funded by the Welsh Government and recently appointed by every health board, the nurses will support patients with suspected and confirmed endometriosis as they navigate care between primary (GP) and secondary (gynaecologist) care. For many patients, this will involve pain management, pelvic physiotherapy, and waiting for what can be a long time to access surgery. Our volunteers were pleased to share their experiences as well as give the nurses the opportunity…

The Senedd

EVENT: Endometriosis Care in Wales – Where Are We Now?

February 24, 2022

Endometriosis UK and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales Endometriosis Action Month Welsh Senedd virtual panel debate REGISTER HERE Endometriosis UK and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales invite you to join us hear our Endometriosis Action Month virtual panel debate “Endometriosis Care in Wales – Where are we now?” at 5pm on Thursday 24 March. Speakers include: Jenny Rathbone MS, Chair of the Cross Party Group on Women’s Health Rebecca Taylor, Policy Manager, Endometriosis UK Debbie Shaffer, Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales Jenny Shaw, Endometriosis Clinical Nurse Specialist, Swansea Bay University Health Board Beth Hales,…

Beth Hales, FTWW Volunteer, presents the petition to Jenny Rathbone and a number of MSes.

Petition to Improve Endometriosis Healthcare in Wales Delivered to The Senedd

February 2, 2022

Calls for urgent action on waiting lists, more specialist staff and an end to the postcode lottery impacting endometriosis patients across Wales. Support from Sian Harries, Amelia Womack, Jenny Rathbone MS, and patient-led women’s health charity Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales. A petition calling for Welsh Government to Improve Endometriosis Healthcare in Wales was handed in to Jenny Rathbone MS, Chair of the Women’s Health Cross Party Group, at the Senedd today (Wednesday 2nd February 2022). The charity Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW) is warning that care for Welsh patients is in crisis and needs…

A blurred blue and white image taken from a hospital corridor, with an unidentifiable person walking in the centre.

Ending the Postcode Lottery – FTWW Joins Campaign

November 23, 2021

On 22nd November, we joined more than 20 organisations to launch a new pan-Wales campaign, Ending the Postcode Lottery. The campaign calls for an end to disjointed NHS Wales services and the creation of a single, independent executive to improve care standards. Like many other organisations across Wales, FTWW believes that a single national body with strategic oversight of NHS Wales is vital to drive improvements in patient care and hold health boards to account. A single, independent national NHS organisation would be better placed to improve patient care and deliver on the aims of A healthier Wales, the Welsh government’s plan…

FTWW Responds to Health Minister’s Comments on Lupus Report

November 8, 2021

On Wednesday 3rd November, Mark Isherwood MS submitted a plenary question to the Senedd asking “How is the Welsh Government supporting people with autoimmune diseases?” (OQ57098). Mr Isherwood, who is Chair of the Cross Party Group (CPG) for Disability, followed up with a longer question referencing FTWW’s report, Making the Case for Better Lupus and Rare Autoimmune Disease Care, which you can watch here: Patients with diseases like #lupus, #vasculitis, #Sjögren‘s and #scleroderma are missing out on better care in Wales.@MarkIsherwood is right to ask the Welsh Government to improve care for patients living with these conditons. pic.twitter.com/yz6pN28MzD — RAIRDA…

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