Women's Health and Wellbeing in Coastal Communities

England’s coastal areas are beautiful, but people living in these areas have some of the worst health outcomes in the country. The popular holiday destination of Blackpool, for example, has the worst life expectancy in England. The poorer health of coastal communities was highlighted by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty in his 2021 annual report. While this report did not talk about women’s health or reproductive health specifically, the barriers to accessing good healthcare due to living in these areas will be relevant to both.

On 23^rd May 2024, Dr Jennifer Hall, NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health co-Director, participated in the “Valuing the voices of women: An inclusive approach to Women's Health and Wellbeing in Coastal Communities" in Brighton. The event was organised by the Sussex Researcher School and the Department of Global Health and Infection, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and brought together women from coastal communities in East Sussex, researchers from coastal areas (including Lincoln, Blackpool and Newcastle), clinicians, charities, commissioners and more.

The aim of the event, which took an inclusive and trauma-informed approach to women’s health, was to amplify the voices of women in coastal communities in the UK with a focus on under-resourced areas and under-served groups. Reflecting on the plurality of women’s experiences and the multiple intersecting dimensions of inequalities that are facing women in accessing healthcare and wellbeing services, the intention was to work towards co-producing a theory of change model for improving access to women’s health and wellbeing services in coastal communities.

It was a powerful opening to the day, with a panel of five women sharing their personal experience of a range of reproductive health issues. Sadly, challenges in access, long delays in treatment, and lack of knowledge about the ‘basics’ of hormones, menstrual cycles and signs of the menopause were common. Next, several academics talked about current and planned work on women’s health and sexual and reproductive health in coastal areas. Dr Hall introduced the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health, explained a bit about what it is and highlighted the current work exploring women’s health hubs. She encouraged any women interested in contributing their views to get in touch with the unit.

Prof. Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador for England, then presented on the progress made so far and plans for the next few years in relation to the Women’s Health Strategy. After a change of venue and lunch, the group worked together with a local artist to begin co-developing creative solutions for improving women’s access to healthcare in coastal communities. The day was positively received and there are plans to build on these connections for ongoing work related to the health of women in coastal areas. The NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health will continue to engage in this network as part of its commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and tackling inequalities.