The government has published a Women's Health Strategy for England with the aim of tackling the gender health gap.

The strategy aims to tackle deep-rooted, systemic issues within the health and care system and improve the health and wellbeing of women. This follows a call for evidence which received almost 100,000 responses from people across England.

The strategy includes key commitments on new research and data collection, expansion of women's health education and training for new doctors, improved fertility services and updated guidance for female-specific health conditions.

According to the government press release, women generally live longer than men, but spend more of their life in poor health.

The call for evidence underlined a need for greater focus on health conditions specific to women and gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 people with uteruses.

There were also calls for improved and expanded information and education for women and healthcare professionals and calls to make it simpler for women to access the healthcare they need.

The strategy includes aims to invest £10 million in a breast screening programme, remove additional barriers to IVF for female same-sex couples and update endometriosis services and care.

Aiming to provide women with access to high-quality information and education from childhood through to adulthood and to provide all women with equal access to services, the strategy commits to updating the NHS website and encouraging the expansion of Women's Health Hubs around the country.

Following feedback that women were not always listened to in healthcare settings and that there was a lack of awareness around women's health, the strategy aims to commission urgent research into healthcare professionals' experience of listening to women in primary care and introduce specific training and assessments on women's health in undergraduate curricula

Minister for women’s health Maria Caulfield said: "When we launched our call for evidence to inform the publication of this strategy, women across the country set us a clear mandate for change.

"Tackling the gender health gap will not be easy - there are deep seated, systemic issues we must address to ensure women receive the same standards of care as men, universally and by default.

"This strategy is the start of that journey, but eradicating the gender health gap can’t be done through health services alone. I am calling on everyone who has the power to positively impact women’s health, from employers to doctors and teachers to industry, to join us in our journey."

Newly appointed women’s health ambassador Dame Lesley Regan said: "Having spent my career looking after women, I am deeply aware of the need for a women’s health strategy which empowers both women and clinicians to tackle the gender health gap.

"We need to make it as easy as possible for women to access the services they need, to keep girls in school and women in the workplace, ensuring every woman has the opportunity to live her life to her fullest potential.

"This strategy is a major step in the right direction, listening to the concerns of women, professionals and other organisations to tackle some of the deep rooted issues that we know exist."

The government press release only mentions healthcare for women and does not include references to trans, or non-binary people or people with uteruses who also suffer from the conditions listed above.