Background
In 2024, Healthwatch England asked us to interview women in Redbridge about their experiences as part of an investigation into declining cervical cancer screening screening rates.
We spoke to local women about their hesitancy to attend screenings, their experiences at screenings and the impact on their health.
We heard how appointment letters were inaccessible, how poor communication about the procedure from services led to fear and uncertainty for women with learning disabilities and how misconceptions prevented women from different communities across Redbridge from attending.
We realised that much more needed to be done to ensure women's voices were heard and barriers to accessing health and social care services were addressed. We devised a 3 part project, starting by extending our work on cervical cancer screening to hear from more women from more communities, followed by work on breast cancer screening and perimenopause and menopause.
We attended community events, local clinics, children's centres and places of worship to speak to women from communities across Redbridge. We delivered information sessions and asked you to share your story.
The response was phenomenal. We heard from women across the borough, who spoke up about their experiences, telling us about barriers that ranged from inaccessible facilities, to poor information provision, to misconceptions, to stereotypes and assumptions made by service providers.
It is clear to us that addressing these barriers will require system wide change, and co-operation from service providers and community organisations across Redbridge, at all levels.
As our reporting evolves we will continue to share our findings decision makers and community leaders, making sure the voice of local women is put at the heart of their health and social care provision.
Thank you to everyone who shared their story.