Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the Women’s Health Plan adequately addresses the specific health needs of female unpaid carers, including the need for support to access cervical and breast screening and services for menstrual health and menopause.
Our ambition is that ‘women and girls enjoy the best possible health, throughout their lives’. We want to improve health outcomes for all women and girls in Scotland and working to improve access to health services which meet the needs of women is central to this.
The Scottish Government’s National Carers Strategy sets out a cross-government approach to tackling issues that affect carers, including through health and social care policies. A range of services are in place to support unpaid carers to better access healthcare. Some have a carer-specific focus, while others are more general. The Scottish Government will continue to raise awareness of these services among unpaid carers and will ensure that our health services consider the needs of carers.
As we develop the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan, we are listening to women’s voices and lived experience to seek to meet the needs of women across Scotland, including unpaid female carers.