Women ‘need to be taken seriously’ when they look for GP help – charity

Women need to know they will be taken seriously when they ask for help from their GP, a charity has said after a poll revealed the majority of women feel a family doctor has been “dismissive” of their concerns.

A survey of 4,677 British adults, including 2,275 women, found women were more likely to report GPs being ‘dismissive’ towards them, compared with men.

Half of British men (52%) think a GP had not taken their concerns seriously, while the figure for women is 70%, according to the YouGov poll.

Some 16% of men said that a GP has been wrongly dismissive of a health concern “many times” compared with 27% of women.

Two in five women (43%) reported they had been wrongly dismissed “once or twice” compared with 36% of men.

One in five women (21%) said they had never felt that a GP was wrongly dismissive, compared with 31% of men.

Janet Lindsay, chief executive of charity Wellbeing of Women, said: “We are sadly not surprised by the findings of this data launched by YouGov today, as we know that women face significant barriers when seeking help for their health concerns.

“Our Just a Period campaign found that 50% of women have had their period symptoms dismissed by someone, with 23% reporting that this dismissal came from a healthcare professional.

“Perpetual dismissal, shame and stigma around difficult periods and not enough early education about women’s health issues have resulted in women waiting an average of two years between symptoms starting and seeking help from their GP.

“Women need to know that when they do reach out for help, they will be taken seriously, and their concerns will be listened to.

“Data like this shows the urgent need for the Government to refresh the Women’s Health Strategy, taking action to remove the barriers that women face in getting the support they need.”

Dr Michael Mulholland, honorary secretary of the Royal College of GPs said: “It’s never easy to hear when any patient reports feeling as though they haven’t been taken seriously or properly listened to by their GP, so it’s certainly concerning to see so many women feel this way.

“Reaching a diagnosis and coming up with an appropriate treatment plan needs to be a two-way conversation between a doctor and their patient.

“GPs are highly trained to have open, sensitive and non-judgmental conversations with their patients, and we want all women to feel comfortable approaching their GP, or another member of our clinical team, if they are experiencing any issues with their health.

“Some women’s health conditions – endometriosis, for example – can be difficult to diagnose in primary care as symptoms can be vague. This is why it’s so important patients are listened to as what they say during a conversation can help with this.”

In August, Healthwatch England reported that women had raised concerns about not being listened to when they access health services.

It reported experiences of women who said healthcare workers do not take their concerns or symptoms seriously.

The patient watchdog highlighted that women can be misdiagnosed because they are ignored and vital care could be delayed as a result.

One woman told Healthwatch York: “I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) last year and have experienced a lot of debilitating symptoms. The GP’s only advice has been permanent contraception until menopause and they won’t acknowledge my requests for a gynaecology referral.”

On menopause, one woman told Healthwatch England: “The “great British write-off” starts for women when they start perimenopause which is when many are somewhere in their 40s, with school age children, busy lives and busy jobs.

“And yet many GPs are happy to assign us to the scrapheap.”

Earlier this year, the Women and Equalities Committee of MPs said women are facing “medical misogyny” and warned that women experiencing painful reproductive health conditions are frequently finding their symptoms ‘normalised’ and their ‘pain dismissed’ when seeking help.