Women’s health hubs ‘essential for NI patients’

The Derry Well Women Centre is involved in a survey asking women about their health needs.

The survey, which will help shape future services, is supported by Queen’s University, the Royal College of Midwives and the Department of Health.

Board member, Dr Sandra McNeill, said women often make numerous visits to various health professionals, but a one-stop shop could make diagnosis quicker and save money.

“We can wrap our services around women without spending additional money – it is about realigning the services with the money we have,” she said.

Dr Janet Barter is a menopause specialist and lead at Tower Hamlets Women’s Health Hub.

She said patients and clinicians would not accept Northern Ireland’s gynaecology hospital waiting lists, which are the worst in the UK.

“It must be very distressing for the women who have to wait and for the doctors and the nurses,” she said.

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.

Dr Barter said to make that possible, the health service needs to train a workforce – GPs, hospital doctors and physiotherapists in advance so services are up and running in the future.