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Health of Women & Girls SIG

The Health of Women and Girls Special Interest Group (SIG) was established in 2023 to bring together Faculty of Public Health (FPH) members and wider professionals who have a keen interest in women’s health. We will take a life-course approach to women’s and girls' health and prioritise work to tackle inequalities in women and girls' health.

We will contribute to the FPH’s focus areas for 2022-2025 and deliver our aims through: 
  • Working towards a clear business plan based on FPH members and women’s health professional priorities, and evidence of the most important women's and girls' health issues in the UK.
  • Developing partnerships through collaboration and sharing of experience and knowledge with partners (including the Sexual and Reproductive Health SIG), wider stakeholder networks and allied health organisations.
  • Championing women’s health and equity in all policy. This will include coordinating FPH responses to government and professional consultations, and identifying, promoting and collaborating on new priority areas for policy and advocacy in women’s health.   
  • Promoting evidence informed public health through providing an expert resource for members and identifying and sharing research ideas and opportunities in women’s health, thus supporting equitable access to opportunities for members. 
  • Focusing on capacity building for women’s public health
  • Measuring our progress through process outputs, including an annual report of activity to the FPH board and regular briefings for members. 

Figure reproduced from: Policy paper: Women’s Health Strategy, August 2022, published: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-health-strategy-for-england/womens-health-strategy-for-england 

Vision and Aims

  1. Develop partnerships: through collaboration and sharing of experience and knowledge with partners, wider stakeholder networks and allied health organisations.
  2. Champion women’s health and equity in all policy.
  3. Promote evidence informed women’s public health: through providing an expert resource for members and identifying and sharing research ideas and opportunities in women’s health.
  4. Build capacity in women’s population health.

Workplan

Activity: Communications and awareness raising through:

  1. Attending events, providing input into consultations and writing articles and opinion pieces on areas of relevance.

Outcome:

  • SIG members proactively seek to increase the influence of the women and girl’s health SIG through collaboration with partners.
  • The SIG coordinates FPH responses to relevant government and professional consultations.
  • The SIG stays up to date with topical events and developments in Women’s Health, using these opportunities to increase the visibility of Women’s Health in all areas of public health.

Target date: One year and ongoing

Named lead: Co-chairs and members

Progress to date:

  • Members contributed to various consultation responses
  • External speakers and collaboration with other SIGs for lunch and learn events - ongoing
  • Member contributing to NHSE women’s reproductive health inequalities task and finish group - ongoing
  • Members met with DHSC and NHSE to raise awareness of preconception project output - ongoing

Outputs:

  • Blogs, articles and journal publications as appropriate on outcomes of joint projects.
  • SIG is represented at stakeholder meetings as appropriate.
  • Preconception Toolkit - Summer 2025

Activity: Create a network of public health professionals with a women’s health interest to provide peer support and sharing of opportunities.

Outcome: Quarterly SIG meetings with active, engaged members, including dedicated time for networking.

Target date: One year and ongoing

Named lead: Co-chairs

Progress to date: 

  • Quarterly SIG meetings held 
  • Growing numbers of SIG members on portal and regularly engaged 

Outputs:

  • Regular member meetings
  • Regular lunch and learns for all stakeholders. 
  • WhatsApp group for members - ongoing
  • Public document to encourage sharing of opportunities and capacity - ongoing

Activity:

  • Training and development (capacity building) on women’s health.
  • Topics and content will be in line with the Women’s Health Strategy for England.

Outcome:

  • Training needs of public health professionals are identified through outreach opportunities e.g. workshops at registrar conference.
  • A series of ‘lunch and learn’ sessions are provided  across the calendar to generate interest in the SIG, attract new members and raise its profile with external stakeholders.

Target date: One year

Named lead: Co-chairs and members

Progress to date: Identified topics for initial meetings 

Outputs:

Lunch and learns on: 

  • Cultural competency in perinatal mental health
  • Black maternal health
  • Inequalities in preconception health
  • Meeting the needs of women veterans in health services
  • Upcoming for 2025: VAWG; women in the criminal justice system. 

Activity: 

Identify and complete specific project(s) which align with the Women’s Health Strategy.

The SIG will prioritise projects in two key areas with a focus on inequalities throughout all topic work, considered how to take an anti-racism lens to all work as well as considering intersecting bias:

  1. Abortion / contraception
  2. Violence Against Women and Girls

Outcome:

Project(s) are identified which SIG members can work on, in collaboration with external stakeholders, which contribute to forwarding the Women’s Health Strategy, and do not duplicate work and are within the capacity of members.

The completed projects will be helpful contributions to women’s health. They will also have provided benefits to those taking on the project such as learning, networking or career advancement. 

Target date: One year, dependent on project

Named lead: SIG members

Progress to date:

  • Preconception project: Work across multiple national and regional stakeholders to create a regional toolkit to support evidence-based work in preconception health. Grant obtained for professional product design. NHSE and DHSC positively engaged as a current priority, will support with dissemination - ongoing. 
  • Return to work: ongoing work to survey registrars about support following to return to work across organisations. This will continue to develop helpful resource to fill gaps. 
  • Language around gender inclusivity: Work to support position of the SIG and wider SIGs regarding gender

Outputs: Two specific defined projects completed in year two, disseminated via FPH website, media and stakeholder networks. 

Useful resources and links 

Webinar recordings

Faculty members can visit the FPH Members Portal to watch webinar recordings.

Contact 

The Health of Women and Girls SIG reports to the Faculty’s Health Services Committee.

The SIG is co-chaired by:  

  • Rebecca Best (SpR)
  • Marian Knight (Professor) 
  • Nicola Vousden (SpR) 
  • Rhiannon D'Arcy (SpR)

If you have any queries, email us at: womens.sig@gmail.com. 

We are keen to welcome members who have a passion for women's and girls' health or want to gain a better understanding. If you are interested in joining the SIG, we would love to hear from you.

Join the SIG

FPH members can join this SIG by logging into their FPH members’ portal account, selecting the ‘Committees/SIGs’ button and choosing the correct SIG. You will then be asked to provide a few details, following which your application will be automatically approved. Further details on FPH membership are available here.

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