Healthtech Pigeon What can we learn from the government's new women's health strategy?
Oct 26, 2025
Helen Surana, Editor at The BMJ with a focus on health systems, discusses the renewed Women's Health Strategy with Belle Taylor. They delve into the pressing need for reform, revealing alarming delays in women's care and the systemic inequities faced. They also explore groundbreaking research on menstrual blood tests for endometriosis, the significance of community-driven solutions, and the innovative funding behind Cyclana Bio's unique tissue-level drug discovery. This conversation highlights the intersection of health policy and technology driving change.
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Ask Period Questions And Use Jess's Rule
- Ask routine menstrual and menopause questions during health checks to catch problems earlier.
- Use Jess's rule: refer after three GP visits for the same unresolved problem to avoid dangerous delays.
Triage And AI Fail On Edge Cases
- Referral urgency systems often miss chronic but serious cases because triage prioritizes obvious immediacy.
- Edge cases are where AI and systems fail most, so implementation must account for non-obvious risks.
Fix Workforce And Financial Flows First
- Tackle waiting lists by addressing workforce shortages and financial incentive flows.
- Change payment and referral incentives to produce real behaviour change in the system.
