Warwickshire councillor gives impassioned speech in fight for menopause services

A councillor fighting for NHS services for menopausal women in Warwickshire delivered an impassioned personal account of the impacts she has suffered.

Councillor Clare Golby (Con, Arbury) said she remained “absolutely shocked” that there are no NHS-commissioned services for menopause anywhere in the county, particularly with her own symptoms “absolutely kicking me when I am down”.

The matter has been on the radar of Warwickshire County Council’s Adult Social Care & Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee since February 2022 when it was agreed that a task-and-finish group – a sub-panel set up to address a certain issue within a fixed time scale – should be formed.

The committee, which runs the rule over the provision and performance of adult social care services and the planning and operation of health services for adults and children in Warwickshire, has been working on a similar project related to GP services.

Councillor Jo Barker (Con, Shipston) is replacing Cllr Golby as chair of the committee and was urged by her predecessor to ensure menopause services remain high on the agenda.

“We have done task-and-finish groups on GP services, which we all know is one of the most important things to our residents when it comes to healthcare, to look at how our residents are affected and make recommendations,” said Cllr Golby.

“The one we are about to start, which I will be handing over to Jo, is menopause services.

“I am absolutely shocked that in Warwickshire, we have no commissioned services at all for menopause.

"That has to change and I am on the soap box again while I have this opportunity.

“The majority of women will go through the menopause at some time. I am experiencing it, it is absolutely kicking me when I am down and every other woman in this room will experience some or all of the symptoms.

“We do it all and we get on with it without actually showing anything and it is really difficult, ladies, it is very, very difficult.

“I said in the scrutiny meeting, I could sit there and have no idea of the names of people that I have known for years. It gets you, it really gets you, so Jo, please make a really good go of that one because menopause services is one of things that affects women, without doubt.

“The fact we have no commissioned services for women, it needs to change.”