Women's health inequalities highlighted in new report
A NEW health report has highlighted the systematic inequalities that Rotherham women are experiencing in healthcare services.
The report follows the government’s renewed Women’s Health Strategy, after progress from their 2022 plan had proven uneven, with long waits for diagnosis, fragmented services, and women feeling unheard.
The new government strategy has priority areas on endometriosis delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis risks for women with cardiovascular disease, mental health, maternity inequalities, and osteoporosis and dementia.
Findings from the report show that women in Rotherham experience declining rates of health with healthy life expectancy registering lower at 55.1, than it did a decade ago at 58.5 in 2011-13.
Figures highlight that the average woman in Rotherham now spends 30 per cent of their life in poor health.
At age 65, women can expect to live an average of 7.3 years free from disability, compared to 9.9 years for women in England.
For men in Rotherham, the figures are 8.2 years, and 9.8 nationally, highlighting a wider inequality for Rotherham women, experiencing a larger gap in disability-free life expectancy.
The report said that women suffer higher rates of chronic pain, self-harm episodes and physical inactivity than male Rotherham residents and women nationally.
Male prevalence of back pain in Rotherham is 14.3 per cent compared to the female prevalence of 22 per cent. This gender disparity is replicated for musculoskeletal pain.
Women in Rotherham experience higher rates of non-communicable diseases compared to the national average.
Cardiovascular disease mortality among Rotherham women is 207.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 181.2 per 100,000 people in England.
Similar patterns can be seen with other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer as well, with rates for women in Rotherham being consistently worse than the national average.
Young girls in Rotherham are also showing concerning trends, with 22 per cent reporting experiencing chronic loneliness, 42.5 per cent having experienced bullying, and 28.2 per cent reported a recent decline in their mental health.
All of these figures are higher than those reported by boys, indicating poorer wellbeing outcomes for girls.
The Rotherham Women’s Health Network (RWHN) recently took these findings to the Rotherham Place board in May, 2026.
RWHN is made up of partners including Public Health, Primary Care, Secondary Care (Gynaecology and Sexual Health Services), Healthwatch, Voluntary Action Rotherham, and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.
Now they are aiming to raise the profile of women’s health through a Rotherham-wide conference to bring partners together to support women’s health.
Recommendations from the report include:
Making women’s health a local priority by embedding it into current health plans and strategies to address inequalities for women in Rotherham
Investing in a community-based Women’s Health Hub, delivering accessible care closer to residents to reduce long waits and improve early intervention.
Supporting a Rotherham Women’s Health Conference, through system-wise collaboration across health, local authority and community partners
Improving access, pathways and patient experience, particularly to reduce gynaecology waits, standardise referral processes, and ensure services listen and respond to women’s voices.
The report as prepared for Rotherham Council.