OUR AMBITION IS FOR A SCOTLAND WHERE HEALTH OUTCOMES ARE EQUITABLE ACROSS THE POPULATION
possible health throughout their lives.’ In order to achieve this, the Women’s Health Plan has four clear aims:
• Healthcare for women will be holistic, inclusive, respectful, centred around the individual and responsive to their needs and choices
• All professionals involved in delivering health and social care services will work closely together to improve care for women
• Women will be provided with consistent, reliable and accessible information, empowering them to make informed decisions about their health and healthcare
• Healthcare for women with complex needs, including those with additional social support requirements, will be delivered innovatively, including jointly with third sector support where appropriate
‘Women have been even more adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,’ Maree Todd, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health
and Sport, said in the foreword to the Women’s Health Plan.
‘Inequalities have been exposed and exacerbated. The challenges of balancing childcare, paid work and caring responsibilities with the stresses and uncertainties of the pandemic have been truly daunting for many women, and have undoubtedly affected their health.
‘Learning from the pandemic – the needs of women and its impact on services – has been central. Changes in service delivery have also highlighted positive opportunities for change and these have been brought into the Plan.
‘Our Women’s Health Plan aims to reduce avoidable health inequalities for women and girls across the course of their lives – from puberty to the later years – focussing on those areas that are stigmatised, disregarded or dismissed as ‘women’s problems’. By supporting health in women and girls, we can expand their choices and opportunities to achieve their potential.’
STATISTICS
• Around 400,000 women in Scotland are of menopausal age
•Women’s life expectancy at birth in the most deprived areas is 75.6 years, compared to 85.6 years in the least deprived
• Thirty-seven per cent of women in Scotland report living with a limiting, long-term condition or disability
• Almost one in ten deaths in women in Scotland each year are caused by ischaemic heart disease
NEWS
Pharmacy bridging contraception service launch All community pharmacies in Scotland are now offering a service, which will improve access to contraceptive care across the country.
Under this ‘bridging contraceptive’ service, pharmacies will be able to provide three months of an oral contraceptive pill, following a consultation to make sure that this is safe and appropriate. This supply will ensure that there is contraceptive cover for those, who need it, whilst they access their GP or local sexual health clinic to discuss their long-term options.
These temporary supplies are free of charge and can be accessed as a standalone service, as well as being offered to women accessing the existing and extremely successful emergency contraceptive service through community pharmacies.
This is the first step towards a Women’s Health and Wellbeing suite of services to be delivered by community pharmacies, demonstrating the important role that pharmacy teams will play in realising the ambition of Scotland’s Women’s Health plan.
‘Ultimately,’ said Harry McQuillan, CEO of Community Pharmacy Scotland, ‘this will improve the range of options and ease of access that the women of Scotland have when it comes to contraception, and we are delighted that our network of pharmacies can be part of this important step forward in women’s health.’
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