The All Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health holds regular events at Westminster to inform MPs, Peers and wider stakeholders on women's health related issues.
If you would like to put your name forward for invitations to meetings or would like a copy of minutes, attendees and decisions make at meetings, please contact the secretariat at appgwh@healthcommsconsulting.co.uk.
Please see below more information on upcoming as well as past events.
7th February 2024 - Unleashing the Power of Informed Decision-Making: Pregnancy
On Wednesday 7th February at 10am, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health held the second of its roundtables on its series on Informed Choice. Spotlighting women’s experience during pregnancy, the event aimed to gather information to reflect on what has changed since the APPG’s report on informed choice in 2017 and what more can be done to ensure women are equipped to make informed decisions about their health.
Hosted by Baroness Kennington of Jenkin, Officer of the APPG on Women’s Health, with keynote remarks from Jane Plumb, Women’s Voices Lead and Women’s Network Chair at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists; Dr Janet Nooney, Expert Scientific Assessor, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; and Ruth Unstead Joss who spoke on her lived experience of dealing with diabetes during pregnancy.
Attendees include representatives from following organisations:
Royal College of Nursing
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health
Royal College of Midwives
British Pregnancy Advisory Service
Wellbeing of Women
Royal College of General Practitioners
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Department of Health and Social Care
Please find the minutes of the roundtable here.
15th November 2023 - Unleashing the Power of Informed Decision-Making: Menstrual Wellbeing
On Wednesday 15th November at 12:45pm, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health held the first of its roundtables on its series on Informed Choice. Spotlighting menstrual wellbeing, the event aimed to gather information to reflect on what has changed since the APPG’s report in 2017, and what can be done to improve informed decision making for women.
Hosted by Gill Furniss MP, Co-Chair of the APPG on Women’s Health, this parliamentary event brought together influential leaders, decision-makers, healthcare professionals and patients to delve into the transformative potential of informed choice and decision making in menstrual wellbeing. With keynote remarks from Gill Furniss MP, Jane Plumb, Women’s Voices Lead, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and Dr Véronique Griffith MD/PhD, lecturer, researcher, author and patient with endometriosis.
25th April 2023 - Women’s Health APPG AGM
On Tuesday 25th April at 2pm the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health held its Annual General Meeting. There was a formal election of officers and the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed.
The following officers were elected:
Gill Furniss MP: Co-Chair
Cherilyn Mackrory MP: Co-Chair
Nickie Aiken MP - Officer
Rosie Duffield MP – Officer
Sharon Hodgson MP - Officer
Baroness Jenkin – Officer
Kirsten Oswald MP – Officer
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP - Officer
Alison Thewliss MP - Officer
Please find attached the minutes from the meeting.
25th April 2023 - Inequalities Roundtable - Cardiovascular outcomes for women
On Tuesday 25th April the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health hosted the first roundtable in its inequalities series: closing the gap. The roundtable spotlighted cardiovascular disease and inequalities in treatment access for women with aortic stenosis.
Recently published new data has highlighted that women are less likely to receive life saving treatment for Aortic Stenosis (AS) than men. AS is a cardiovascular condition, and there are both open surgical and minimally invasive treatment options available. This APPG has spoken to experts and those affected to find out what the barriers are that women are facing when accessing treatment, and what can be done to ensure women get equal access to men. With the support of these experts, the APPG has put together a Call to Action which can be viewed here.
The APPG’s event brought together key stakeholders in the cardiovascular and women’s health space to discuss the solutions highlighted in the Call to Action and the steps that can be taken forward to improve treatment access for women with AS.
Representatives from the following groups were invited to the roundtable to discuss these solutions and the ways in which treatment access can be improved:
British Heart Foundation
Heart Valve Voice
British Cardiovascular Society
NHS England Inequalities Team
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Royal College of General Practitioners
Royal College of Nurses
Patients with lived experience
Clinicians
Parliamentarians
Please find a link to the APPG’s Call to Action ‘Closing the Gender Health Gap’ here.
1st November 2022 - Women’s Health Joint APPG Meeting
On Tuesday, 1st November 2022, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health held a Joint Event on the Women’s Health Strategy.
Representation and interest was indicated by the following APPGs:
APPG on Women’s Health
APPG on Sexual and Reproductive Health
APPG on Black Maternal Health
APPG on Menopause
APPG on Endometriosis
APPG on Maternity
Attendees also heard from the following speakers:
Kate Lancaster, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Marian Holliday, Deputy Director, Acute Care Policy at the Department of Health and Social Care
During the meeting attendees discussed the mechanisms in place to deliver on the recommendations in the Strategy and the ways in which the Department of Health and Social Care will report on their progress to implement the recommendations.
Please find below
18th May 2022 - Women's Health APPG AGM
On Wednesday 18th May 2022`from 9:30-10:30 am, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health held its virtual Annual General Meeting. There was a formal election of officers and the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed.
The following officers were elected:
Cherilyn Mackrory MP: Co-Chair
Gill Furniss MP: Co-Chair
Nickie Aiken MP: Officer
Rosie Duffield MP: Officer
Baroness Fraser: Officer
Sharon Hodgson MP: Officer
Baroness Masham: Officer
Kate Osborne MP: Officer
Jess Phillips MP: Officer
Liz Twist MP: Officer
Please find attached the minutes from the meeting.
18th November 2021 - Women’s Health Event on Variation in Access to Treatment for the Menopause
On Thursday 18th November, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health will be hosting a virtual event on the variation in access to treatment for the menopause in the UK. The event will be chaired by the APPG’s Co-Chair, Liz Twist MP, speakers include:
Sara Moger, Chief Executive of the British Menopause Society
Dr Anne Connolly, Chair of the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum
Dr Paula Briggs, Consultant at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
Please find a link to the APPG’s Call to Action here.
14th July 2021 - Women’s Health APPG Event on Covid-19
On Wednesday 14th July the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health held an event on the impact of covid-19 on women’s health services. The event was chaired by the APPG’s Co-Chair, Liz Twist MP, speakers include:
Dr Sarah Gray, a GP in Cornwall and an Executive Director of the Primary Care Women’s Health Forum
Sangeeta Agnihotri, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Barts Health Trust
June-Ann Joseph, a patient representative from Cysters and Podcaster
25th May 2021 - Women's Health APPG Meeting AGM
On Tuesday, 25th May 2021`from 10:30-11:00 am, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health held its virtual Annual General Meeting. There was a formal election of officers and the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed.
The following officers were elected:
Liz Twist MP: Co-Chair
Jackie Doyle-Price MP: Co-Chair
Sarah Dines MP: Vice-Chair
Cherilyn Mackrory MP: Officer
Kate Osborne MP: Officer
Nickie Aiken MP: Officer
Please find attached the minutes from the meeting.
The APPG on Women’s Health will be hosting its first ever virtual Conference Series with three separate webinars across the month of November to discuss prominent topics surrounding women’s health.
(1) The Cumberlege Review: First Do No Harm – November 3rd between 2pm and 3pm
A panel discussion with Baroness Cumberlege and other experts on the recommendations which came out of the Review and their implications for our health system and for women’s care in particular.
(2) Menstrual Health and Endometriosis – November 18th between 10am and 11am
A panel discussion with experts including Professor Dame Lesley Regan (member of the Menstrual Health Coalition’s steering committee) and Emma Cox (Chief Executive of Endometriosis UK) on stigma, education and commissioning barriers.
(3) Menopause and Women’s Health beyond Covid-19 – November 26th between 10am and 11:30am
A panel discussion on menopause treatment and care with Sexual and Reproductive Health Consultant Dr Paula Briggs (member of the British Menopause Society’s advisory council) and other experts. Followed by a number of speeches on the future of women’s health beyond Covid-19. Speakers will include: Sarah Wilkinson (Chief Executive of NHS Digital) and the Minister with responsibility for Women’s Health Nadine Dorries MP.
29th January 2020 - Women's Health APPG Meeting AGM
On Wednesday, 29th January 2020 from 15:00-16:00pm, in Room U (Portcullis House), the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health held its Annual General Meeting. There was a formal election of officers and the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed.
The following officers were elected:
Jackie Doyle-Price MP: Co-Chair
Carolyn Harris MP: Co-Chair
Paul Scully MP: Vice Chair
Alison Thewliss MP: Vice Chair
Rachel Maclean MP: Officer
Kate Osborne MP: Officer
9th September 2019 - Women's Health APPG Meeting AGM
On the 9th September from 14:30-15:00pm, in Room T (Portcullis House), the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health held it's Annual General Meeting, and there was a formal election of officers and the approval of the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed. Attendees included Paula Sherriff MP, Liz McInnes MP, Eleanor Smith MP, Stephen McPartland MP and Baroness Blackstone.
The following officers were elected:
Paula Sherriff, MP: Chair
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP: Vice-chair
Liz McInnes MP: Vice-chair
Paul Scully MP: Vice-chair
Alison Thewliss MP: Vice-chair
4th March 2019 - Women's Health Parliamentary Conference
The Women’s Health All-Party Parliamentary Group, chaired by Paula Sherriff MP, hosted its second annual Women’s Health Conference to empower women to make informed choices about medical treatment and to raise the profile of women’s health and surrounding issues within parliament and amongst the general public.
The event brought together MPs, patient groups, industry, clinical experts and many others for three panel discussions on prominent topics surrounding women’s health.
This year’s focus was on (i) women’s health inequalities, (ii) transforming menstrual health, and (iii) the role of awareness and education.
The conference hosted several high profile speakers including Jackie Doyle-Price MP (the Minister responsible for women’s health) and Jon Ashworth MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care).
Menstrual Health Coalition launch
23rd October 2018 - Launch of the Menstrual Health Coalition
On the 23rd of October the Menstrual Health Coalition was launched. The aim of the launch was to gather a group of experts to discuss the expectations, future activities and objectives of the coalition.
Three work streams were discussed:
1) Stigma and the need for education
2) Pathway and access
3) Period poverty
16th July 2018 - Women's Health APPG Meeting (AGM and Oral Evidence Session)
On the 16th of July, from 14:30-16:00, the WHAPPG hosted two key events in Committee Room 18: the Group's AGM and a Heart and Stroke Oral Evidence Roundtable.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health held it's Annual General Meeting, and there was a formal election of officers and the approval of the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed. Attendees included Paula Sherriff MP, Liz McInnes MP, Paul Scully MP, Baroness Howe of Idlicote and Baroness Hodgson of Abinger.
The following officers were elected:
Paula Sherriff, MP: Chair
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP: Vice-chair
Liz McInnes MP: Vice-chair
Paul Scully MP: Vice-chair
Alison Thewliss MP: Vice-chair
An oral evidence roundtable was held, which looked at treatment and outcome disparities for women suffering from heart attack and stroke. Following this, the Group will ask both experts and patients for written evidence to get a better understanding these disparities. The following people provided oral evidence:
Sarah Clarke, British Heart Foundation
Cara Hendry, British Heart Foundation
Chris Gale, British Heart Foundation
Juliet Bouverie, Stroke Association
22nd March 2018 - Women's Health Parliamentary Conference
The Group hosted the first ever Women’s Health Parliamentary Conference to mark the month of International Women’s Day on 22nd March 2018.
The event was hosted by Paula Sherriff MP, Liz McInnes MP and Paul Scully MP, brought together the Minister for Women's Health, NHS England, MPs, patient groups, industry, clinical experts and many others for three panel discussions:
'Rationing of women’s health services' with Paula Sherriff MP, Councillor Jonathan McShane, Dr Priya Agrawal, Dr Anatole Menon-Johansson, and Dr Christian Jessen.
'Is this normal?' with Liz McInnes MP, Dr Anne Connolly, Manjit Gill, Athena Lamnisos, Dr Ellie Cannon, and Chella Quint.
'How are women treated in the NHS?' with Paula Sherriff MP, Dr Sarah Clarke, Dr Ghada Mikhail, Professor Erika Denton, and Katie Piper.
There was also a showcase by patient groups Breast Cancer Care, Endometriosis UK, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, Ovarian Cancer Action, Pelvic Pain Support Network, Verity and Period Positive.
17th October 2017 - Report Roundtable Discussion
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health hosted a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders to discuss how to take forward the recommendations outlined in the Informed Choice report. Dr Matthew Jolly, Clinical Director for Maternity Review and Women's Health at NHS England spoke as did Dr Anne Mackie, Director of Screening at Public Health England. The meeting took place on Tuesday 17th October 2017, 3pm until 4pm in Portcullis House, Room T.
11th July 2017 - AGM
Following the 2017 General Election, the the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health held it's Annual General Meeting in Room Q of Portcullis House at 4:00pm. There was a formal election of officers and the approval of the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed. Attendees included Paula Sherriff MP, Paul Scully MP, Colleen Fletcher MP, Liz McInnes MP and Chris Davies MP.
27th March 2017 - Report Launch
The Group launched it's inaugural report on Informed Choice on Monday 27th March, 4:00-6:00pm in the Attlee Suite of Portcullis House. The report launch saw patient representatives and parliamentarians, as well as representatives from the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of General Practitioners give speeches. There was also a Q&A session.
18th January 2017 - Oral Evidence Session
The Group held an oral evidence session, 3:00-5:00pm in the Macmillan Room of Portcullis House, to gather evidence for an inquiry it launched into whether women are given an informed choice about the treatment options available for particular conditions. Endometriosis and fibroids where the conditions the group chose to shine a particular spotlight on.
During the session, patient speakers, parliamentarians and clinicians gave evidence and there were three Q&A sessions.
19th October 2016 - Women's Health Screening
The Group held a meeting on Wednesday 19th October, 2016, 3:00-4:30pm in Room A, 1 Parliament Street which focused on the topic of screening, with a particular focus on breast and cervical cancer screening.
The group heard from experts about current practice as well as the barriers to and issues surrounding uptake of free screening services in order to understand what key recommendations the group can take forwards.
8th June 2016 - Launch Event
The launch event of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health took place on 8th June, 2016 from 2:00-3:00pm in Macmillan Room, Portcullis House. Speakers included Angela Rippon, Katie Piper and Caroline Criado Perez.
27th April 2016 - Inaugural Meeting and AGM
The inaugural meeting and AGM of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women's Health was held on 27th April, 2016. There was a formal election of officers and the approval of the Group's income and expenditure statement for publication was agreed.