Government accused of misleading claim on health hubs

In spring last year, the government and NHS England said all systems were expected to have at least one operational women’s health hub in place by the end of December 2024. They were required to provide clinical support and consultations/triaging in eight “core” services.

Health minister Karin Smyth told Parliament at the start of this year the objective had been met in 39 out of 42 integrated care systems.

But research by the Menstrual Health Coalition found only 14 integrated care boards had established hubs offering all eight core services, as required. The services are: menstrual problems assessment and treatment; menopause assessment and treatment; contraceptive counselling and provision of all methods; preconception care; breast pain assessment; pessary fitting and removal; cervical screening; and screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

The coalition, an alliance of patient and advocate groups, collected information from all ICBs between October and December.

Its co-chair Anne Connolly, a GP specialising in gynaecology, said: “Our findings challenge the narrative that women’s health hubs have been successfully implemented nationwide.

“While figures suggest that hubs are in place, the reality is that many do not provide the full range of services women were promised… There is now an urgent need for transparency alongside the rollout of women’s health services, particularly as the current funding is short term and lacks the necessary commitment to future-proofing these services.”

Many ICBs acknowledged they were not establishing hubs separately as, they said, some services were already offered elsewhere.

Not appropriate

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB said it was not setting up hubs separate to existing services in general practice, sexual and reproductive health, and gynaecology.

“Many general practices are already providing the ‘core services’ of a ‘women’s health hub’,” the ICB said.

Many ICBs said the hub model was “not appropriate” for their area, while others lack dedicated specialists for gynaecology services, significantly limiting the scope of care available.

Dorset ICB and Somerset ICB both said that a physical hub would not meet the needs of their population. 

Dorset said that instead of setting up a hub, it had “improved patient pathways” and was “delivering elements of services in a new way rather than delivering only in one place”. Somerset said it already had a menopause service in primary care and a network of professionals across the county.

Other ICBs said their hubs were “virtual models”, such as in Herefordshire and Worcestershire and Norfolk and Waveney. But the alliance said this would limit access and standards.

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB said it had a women’s health hub, but it was not due to deliver the eight core services until December this year.

The research also discovered inconsistent funding across the country for hubs. NHSE gave non-recurrent funding of £595,000 to each ICB for a period of two years to facilitate the development and implementation of the hubs.

But 41 per cent of ICBs had allocated less than the £595,000 baseline funding, and only 7 per cent had provided additional resources, raising concerns about underfunding and the delivery impact, the alliance said.

Frimley, the smallest ICB, had only allocated £90,000, while Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB — whose population is nearly 2 million — had spent £150,000.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB and Greater Manchester ICB told the alliance late last year that they aimed to have a full hub operating by the end of December 2024.