Meeting women where they are: earlier joined-up care alongside the NHS

Most women's health needs arise during working life. 23% of women have taken time off work because of their period in the last six months, and 1 in 10 leave their job because of menopause symptoms. Women's sickness absence rate is 2.5%, compared with 1.6% for men.

Behind those numbers are people who often wait too long to get help. When they can get specialist advice early and at a time that suits them, they seek help sooner, arrive at NHS services better prepared and are more likely to stay well in work.

Why earlier support matters

Much of women's health is managed over years, across several episodes of care. Menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause each bring their own questions, and mental health runs through all of them.

The scale is significant. Around 13 million women in the UK are perimenopausal or menopausal. 1 in 5 women develop a mental health problem during the perinatal period. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), affects about 1 in 10 women in the UK.

Early diagnosis relies on someone recognising that a symptom is worth raising. Stigma, uncertainty about what is normal and difficulty describing symptoms can all delay that first conversation. Endometriosis, which affects around 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, shows why early recognition matters.

Many people now look for answers online first. Content tagged #WomensHealth on TikTok has been viewed more than five billion times. The interest is there. The task is making trusted, clinically sound information as easy to find as everything else.

The bigger picture

National health policy is moving the same way. The NHS 10-Year Health Plan sets out three shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. The renewed Women's Health Strategy for England points in the same direction.

For employers, the Keep Britain Working review is the one to know. Led by Sir Charlie Mayfield for the Department for Work and Pensions, it sets out a significant and growing role for employer-funded healthcare in supporting the health of the working-age population, working in partnership with statutory services. Peppy is one of the government's Keep Britain Working Vanguards.

The economic case is clear too. The McKinsey Health Institute estimates that closing the women's health gap could add £36bn a year to the UK economy by 2040.

How this fits with your existing benefits

Most employers already have some health support in place, so the question is where specialist women's health support sits alongside it.

• The NHS brings diagnostic expertise, specialist treatment and care pathways built over decades. The aim is to help people use it well, not to replace it.
• Your EAP typically focuses on short-term emotional support and counselling. It's valuable, but it isn't designed for clinical questions about periods, fertility or menopause.
• Private medical insurance (PMI) covers diagnosis and treatment once someone has been referred, but often excludes or limits areas like fertility, pregnancy and long-term conditions. It also relies on someone knowing they need help in the first place.

Specialist women's health support fills the space between these: the early questions, the preparation before an appointment and the continuity between them. In practice, that means:

• Making good use of statutory services
• People arriving at appointments with the right questions
• Continuity of support between GP visits
• People supported before, during and after their NHS care
  
  

What connected care looks like over time

Take a composite of the women Peppy supports. In her late twenties, she has lived with pelvic pain for years and isn't sure how to describe the full picture. Through her employer, she speaks to a women's health specialist one evening, from home. Together they build a symptom diary and a clear set of questions. She takes these to her GP, who refers her for investigation, and she is diagnosed with endometriosis.

A few years later, she and her partner want to start a family. She returns to the same service and speaks with a fertility specialist about her options and the emotional side of IVF. When she becomes pregnant, a midwife supports her alongside her NHS antenatal care, checking in on her mental health and helping with feeding and her return to work.

At each stage, specialist support added continuity and preparation, and the NHS delivered expert clinical care. For her employer, that meant one benefit that stayed with her through each stage, rather than a gap every time her needs changed.

Why digital access matters

A private chat with a specialist clinician at six in the evening makes it easier to ask a first question, especially on topics people find hard to raise. It fits around work, childcare and family life, so people don't need time off to get advice.

It also makes proactive care possible. Clinicians can check in, follow up and guide people through structured care pathways, rather than waiting for someone to come back when things have got worse.

What to look for in a provider

Not all digital health benefits work the same way. The strongest share four features:

• Clinically led, evidence-based information people can trust
• Continuity, so the same service supports someone from one life stage to the next
• Clear signposting into NHS pathways when assessment, investigation or treatment is needed
• Outcome measurement alongside usage data, so you can see the impact
  
  

What the results look like

Earlier support shows up in outcomes. Among Peppy menopause users, severe symptoms reduce by 58% within six months, and menopause-related work impairment drops by 15% within 90 days.

The pattern is clearest in individual stories. One Peppy women's health user told us that after talking to a Peppy clinician, she was able to raise her concerns with her GP and is now seeing a number of specialists. Better understanding led to a better-prepared conversation, and that led to the right NHS care.

What this means for employers

Employer-funded healthcare is here to stay, and it works best in partnership with the NHS. A few places to start:

• Map where women's health sits in your current benefits, and where people fall between your EAP, PMI and the NHS
• Look at absence and exit data for patterns linked to menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy or menopause
• Make sure support is easy to find and confidential, so people use it early rather than at crisis point
• Ask providers for outcome data, not just engagement figures

Supporting women's health earlier helps keep people well and in work, and it helps the NHS do what it does best.

Frequently asked questions

Why should employers support women's health?

Most women's health needs arise during working life. 23% of women have taken time off work because of their period in the last six months, and 1 in 10 leave their job because of menopause symptoms. Earlier support helps people stay well and in work, which reduces absence and keeps experienced people in the business.

How does women's health support fit alongside an EAP and PMI?

An EAP typically focuses on short-term emotional support, and PMI covers diagnosis and treatment once someone has been referred. Specialist women's health support fills the space between them: the early questions, preparation before an appointment and continuity between appointments, across areas PMI often excludes or limits, like fertility and pregnancy.

Does employer-funded healthcare replace the NHS?

No. It works best in partnership with the NHS. NHS clinicians bring diagnosis, specialist treatment and established care pathways. Employer-funded services help people recognise symptoms earlier, prepare for appointments and get support between them, with clear signposting into NHS care when it's needed.

What is the Keep Britain Working review?

The Keep Britain Working review, led by Sir Charlie Mayfield for the Department for Work and Pensions, looks at how to keep more people healthy and in work. It sets out a significant and growing role for employer-funded healthcare, working in partnership with statutory services.

What should HR look for in a women's health provider?

Look for four things: clinically led, evidence-based information; continuity, so the same service supports someone from one life stage to the next; clear signposting into NHS pathways; and outcome measurement alongside usage data.

How can employers measure the impact of women's health support?

Ask providers for clinical and work outcomes, not just engagement figures. Useful measures include changes in symptom severity, work impairment and absence over time. Comparing these with your own absence and exit data shows where support is making a difference.