Women's health plan 2021 to 2024: final report

Next Steps

Despite progress made, a recent paper published in the Lancet noted that ‘women’s health across the UK is in decline^[8]’. The health and social care landscape, and our wider society, has changed since 2021 when the first phase of the Plan was written and published. Health inequalities remain and in some instances have widened^[9].

To further achieve our ambition for women and girls in Scotland, we will be looking at what has changed, both positively and negatively, since the publication of the Plan in August 2021, and where additional focus is needed.

As we develop the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan we intend to look in an even more holistic way, focussing more on the life course approach; asking what we can do better or differently to support women and girls of all ages across all stages of their lives and considering the many factors that make up a healthy life.

Over the coming months we will be working with women and girls, healthcare professionals, academics and the third sector across Scotland to ask what they want to see in the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan. We will review and update our evidence base, ensuring any future work is grounded in the most up to date research. Importantly, we will use the networks established in the first phase of this work to build on progress to date and to help focus our collective effort where it is most needed going forward.

For more information about this, or any other topic in this report, please contact womenshealthplan@gov.scot