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Last night I attended the PLMR Insights: From Message to Momentum event, a panel discussion focused on women's health. Chaired by PLMR's Managing Director Sara Bristow, and featuring Michelle Welsh MP, Member of Parliament for Sherwood Forest and the newly appointed National Maternity Advisor, alongside women's health journalist Rosie Taylor, the discussion explored how women's health has gained greater visibility through media coverage, changing newsroom demographics and increased female representation in Parliament.

Despite this progress, speakers highlighted that many women's health issues are still viewed as too niche for mainstream audiences. While awareness has improved significantly in recent years, the implementation of women's health policies remains inconsistent, underlining the gap between conversation and action. 

A key takeaway from the evening was the importance of placing human impact at the centre of advocacy. Messages that demonstrate the effect of health conditions on work, family life, relationships and wellbeing are often more effective in engaging policymakers, the media and the public than clinical descriptions alone. Both Michelle and Rosie stressed the importance of combining robust evidence with compelling patient stories, noting that lived experience remains one of the most powerful drivers of media attention, political engagement and policy change.

The panel also explored how smaller organisations can influence decision-makers. Direct engagement with MPs, APPGs and ministers was encouraged, while grassroots campaigning and local storytelling were highlighted as essential ways to ensure women's voices are heard. Rosie spoke about the media's role in amplifying patient experiences, while Michelle underlined the importance of ambitious policy goals to help hold government to account.

Several ongoing challenges were discussed, including misinformation on social media, inequalities in maternity care for ethnic minority women and the need to broaden the conversation beyond a predominantly gynaecological focus. ABHI's Dr Nina Wilson emphasised the importance of taking a more holistic view of women's health, including cardiovascular disease, brain health, bone health and prevention.

Nina also highlighted the value of male allies in driving progress, citing ABHI Chief Executive Peter Ellingworth as a strong champion for women's health. The discussion reinforced that meaningful change requires support from across the healthcare ecosystem and that advocates of all backgrounds have a role to play in improving outcomes for women.

The message from the panel was clear: awareness alone is no longer enough. Progress will require continued advocacy, sustained engagement and a relentless focus on turning commitments into tangible action. The challenge now is ensuring that the ambitions set out in the Women's Health Strategy translate into measurable improvements in care and outcomes.

ABHI remains committed to keeping women's health high on the policy agenda. Through our recent publications following our Women's Health Summit 2026, and our paper on delivering gold-standard maternity care in the UK, we will continue to champion patient voices and advocate for meaningful change.

Thank you to PLMR for hosting such an insightful and thought-provoking event.

Charlotte Hart, Communications and Events Executive, ABHI