Empowering Women’s Health: BNSSG Healthier Together Celebrates International Women’s Day 2025 

5 March 2025

 

Health care providers in Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire are proud to be celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March 2025.  

This year’s theme ‘Accelerate Action’ connects directly with the health and care system’s commitment to improving women’s health services across the area. 

Significant work has been carried out over the last 18 months to improve women’s health services in GP surgeries and reduce health inequalities faced by women across the area.  

Essential services have been made more accessible for women and girls across the region, with GP surgeries working together to provide: 

• improved access to coil and implant fitting, which are used for contraception and for managing heavy and painful periods. 

• Better menopause care  

• A more trauma-informed approach to women’s health care. 

• better signposting to local women’s health services and useful and reliable information to support decision-making and self-management. 

Dr Katherine Kearley-Shiers, Local GP and Clinical Lead for Women’s Health, said: 

“We know that many women struggle to access the right care for their health concerns. By working together across primary care networks and through staff training and education, we can offer better care to local women and provide vital support to people who find it more difficult to attend appointments. 

“Our work aims to bridge gaps in care, providing a welcoming space where women can receive high-quality, personalised support.” 

Inclusion health grants for women’s health 

£105,000 worth of grant funding has also been provided to multiple projects focused on supporting women facing multiple disadvantage.  

BCfm, a community radio station in Bristol, received funding to create Real Women Talk Health, which aims to enhance access to women’s health information and services through interviews, podcasts and more with local healthcare experts. So far, podcasts have included discussions on menopause, periods, contraception and cervical screening. Listen back to the episodes on the BCfm Listen Again service by searching ‘Real Women’. 

One25, who support women who are street sex-working or at risk of street sex work in Bristol, received funding to co-create a ‘health menu’ to display information about various health interventions in an accessible format to distribute across their services.  

International Women’s Day Celebration 2025 

Bristol Women’s Voice will be hosting an International Women’s day Celebration at Bristol’s City Hall on 8 March. Dr Geeta Iyer, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, will be joining a panel from 2pm to 3.30pm discussing key issues for women’s health in Bristol.