I've been clear that we must change the way we provide healthcare to women and girls in Wales. We need to do that so that they can get timely care, so that the NHS responds to their needs and requirements, and so that research and development work reflects the lived experience of women and girls. And that’s why we here in Wales have committed to bring all of these important issues together in a women’s health plan, which is being developed and owned by our NHS here in Wales. We have already taken important steps towards creating that plan.

In July, I announced the women and girls health quality statement. This sets out what the NHS is expected to do to secure quality health services to support women and girls throughout their lives. There is a clear expectation placed on health boards to ensure appropriate levels of care, treatment and support for women who experience endometriosis, so that they are cared for as close to home as possible, without lengthy waiting times.

Then, in December, the NHS collaborative published a report on establishing a women’s health plan. This reports from the perspective of more than 3,800 women and girls from all corners of Wales, and draws attention to what is being done to identify gaps in current provision. The document sets out opportunities to improve women’s health, including access to endometriosis treatment and support. These improvements will be put in place through an NHS Wales 10-year women’s health plan. Announcing the first stage of the women’s health plan set out the start of a conversation and agreement with women over 10 years using co-production methods set out in ‘A Healthier Wales’. It shows a clear commitment that the women’s health plan should be driven by the voices of women and girls in Wales.

The plan will seek to address any unfairness or barriers in provision at the moment using a lifetime approach to ensure that quality health services are available to women throughout their lives. Following the national clinical framework, the women’s health network is being created this year, which will create a more strategic and systematic approach to co-ordinating, supplying and securing health provision for women across Wales. To help to tackle the lack of research and data about women’s health conditions, my officials are working to create a women’s health research fund.

Endometriosis is essentially a medical condition, but it has broad-ranging implications. We need a socially modelled approach to ensure that women are supported throughout the process of diagnosis and condition management. The NHS needs to adopt this approach as an employer to ensure that it’s servicing its own workforce in the best possible way, and promoting the well-being and productivity of its staff. That’s exactly what we’re doing in Welsh Government. Jack Sargeant has said that we need to show the way, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. I’m pleased to confirm that the Welsh Government has taken the first, important steps on this journey already by signing up to menopause and endometriosis commitments for its workforce, and by appointing champions. This means that the organisation is committed to develop a working environment and culture that supports women in reaching their full potential. I am confident that we’re on the right track to address the lack of equality affecting women in healthcare, but it’s important to recognise the scale of the changes needed, and that they won’t happen overnight.

We are working in partnership with representative groups and partner organisations, and most importantly women and girls in Wales, in order to ensure that the NHS does respond properly to their needs. During Endometriosis Action Month, as well as in the following months, our focus is to create a fundamental change in the way that the health service deals with endometriosis and women’s health, and to ensure a permanent change for women here in Wales.