Agenda item - Formal Public Involvement

20 (a) Petitions

20.1    There were none.

20(b) Written Questions

20.2    It was noted that one public question had been received. The questioner was unable put the question in person but the Chair, Councillor Shanks had agreed to consider and respond to it.

          (a)  Women’s Health - Ms Jean Calder:

20.3    “There are widespread concerns about women’s health, nationally and locally. These include low take-up of smear tests, dangerous maternity provision, cuts to female-only services and a failure to address female “on women’s health released a tsunami of dissatisfaction from many thousands of women who reported widespread sexism within health services and arrogant indifference to women’s needs. In response, the Women’s Health Ambassador, Professor Lesley Regan has called for Women’s Health Hubs across the country. Will you support this initiative, ensuring that if government money becomes available, we bid for it?”

20.4    The Chair’s response is set out below:

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“Our priority is to ensure that people across Sussex can have access to high quality, accessible services, and to address where improvements may be needed for our population.

It is positive that such aspects of Women’s Health have been raised both nationally and locally in Sussex. NHS Sussex is working on our strategy to respond to the National Women’s Health Strategy for England, especially to support those who have been identified as having significant inequalities within our local population in Sussex and improve the quality of care delivered.

The aim would be to reduce inequalities, improve and align Women’s Health care, bringing together expertise and a supportive and holistic approach to delivering Women’s Health. At the heart of this would be patient support, self-help, education and access to the right clinical expertise first time. The services would also support further education of our Health Care Professionals to ensure ongoing that we have the right expertise locally and that we maintain and continuously improve this.  As an example we have already started work on some key areas of Women’s Health covering areas such as Menopause and HRT.

have already set up a Clinically focussed Menopause Working Group and have developed a Sussex Menopause pathway and a supporting Menopause ‘Resource pack ‘which is designed for GPs, wider Health Care Practitioners including practice pharmacists as well as containing a dedicated section for patients. We are working with our Health Watch partners to ensure we are getting the right balance with this, and any feedback will be used to further improve this detailed resource pack.

20.4    It was agreed that the supplementary question set out below would  be responded to separately and will appear in the subsequent minutes of today’s meeting.

“We need politicians to co-operate to challenge sex discrimination, providing improved health services to meet women and girls’ sex-specific health needs - including menstruation, menopause, fertility, maternity, gynaecological and other services. Elections are fairly imminent, so politicians may be tempted to retreat to party political bunkers, reluctant to co-operate for fear of giving others advantage. Will councillors commit themselves to avoiding this, working across-party with politicians and others with whom they may not always agree (including local MPs, in particular, Maria Caulfield, the Minister for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy), to improve women’s health services?”

  20.5  RESOLVED – That the question and the Chair’s response to it be noted and received.

20 (c) Deputations

20.6    There were none.