CSP has raised concerns over drastic cuts to NHS England targets - including the rollout women’s health hubs across England.
More than a dozen national priorities have been axed from NHS England plans, in a bid to give Integrated Care Boards greater freedom in cutting waiting lists and managing elective, emergency and primary care.
Last year's workforce objectives and target to reduce community waiting times were removed from 2025-26 planning guidance issued today.
In its place are a range of new 'success measures' such as trusts hitting a minimum of 60 per cent against the 18-week elective care standard.
Women's health hubs are intended to provide a wide range of services under one roof, including pelvic health physiotherapy, mammograms, cervical smears, contraception, menopause support, and diagnosis and treatment for common gynaecological issues. Dropping plans for a rollout would have ‘serious consequences’, the CSP warned.
Last year, members of the CSP were invited to contribute to the design and implementation of these hubs, with a specific focus on enhancing access to pelvic health physiotherapy.
The CSP also called for the rollout to continue in its submission to the government’s forthcoming 10-year plan.
Targets to be dropped
In NHS guidance to be published this week, however, the target of a full rollout is expected to be dropped, along with a number of other milestones.
CSP director Rob Yeldham warned that dropping targets could lead to delays in essential services.
He said: 'The dropping of so many indicators is a concern because what gets counted in the NHS tends to be what gets done.
Progress on the rollout of women’s health hubs, staff welfare, community services and other areas cannot be allowed to stall in the absence of a target.
It is vitally important that the NHS continues to monitor these issues.
‘Indeed, we need better data and reporting in areas like rehab to drive the very improvements which the government is rightly committed to.
‘We and other organisations will be pressing NHS England to continue to report on all these areas, along with the need to invest in the physiotherapy workforce.
‘It’s clear that the government’s ambition to move more case out of hospital, including through the expansion of integrated neighbourhood teams, will require significant physio involvement.
‘It’s essential that the NHS makes full use of the healthy supply entering the workforce and creates a band 5 role for every graduate who wants one.’
As part of the broader women’s health strategy, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England had previously announced funding allocations of £25 million to expand women’s health hubs, with an additional £11 million earmarked from April 2024 to fund national pelvic services aimed at preventing and treating pelvic floor dysfunction, as well as supporting postnatal recovery.
The previous guidance committed to establishing at least one women’s health hub in every integrated care board by December 2024 but this target remains unmet, with approximately 10 per cent of areas falling behind schedule.
Inconsistent funding
Kate Lough, chair of the POGP also expressed her disappointment at the news.
She said: 'This decision is a further example of inconsistent and short-term funding for projects deemed as priorities in women's health. Although the goal for maternity safety is planned to be protected, there is already concern about preservation of the funding for the perinatal pelvic health services initiative.
It is vital that politically driven changes to the NHS remain embedded in evidence-based care derived from high-quality population studies and research.
Essential cost management of the NHS should not remove the option of equitable and accessible healthcare for women at the time of need in both acute and preventative fields of wellbeing.
The decision to scale back the goals comes at a time when the CSP and many other organisations are calling for more focused and accessible healthcare for women, and concerns are growing about the potential impacts on both individual health outcomes and broader public health efforts.
The CSP is now waiting for NHS England to release its annual planning guidance on 30 January, to ascertain what other goals for the current financial year are being scrapped.
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