Health leaders have united to discuss women's healthcare challenges and improvements.

The "Empowering Women's Health" event was organised by the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight.

The event addressed the health disparities faced by women and highlighted the progress made in improving women's healthcare in the region.

The event featured speakers from the health, care, voluntary, charity, and research sectors.

They discussed their efforts to increase understanding and bring about improvements in women's health.

Statistics show that women, who make up 51 per cent of the population, face unique healthcare challenges and often receive lower levels of care, investigation, or treatment than men for common diseases.

Despite typically living longer than men, women are more likely to spend more years in poor health.

NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight's women's health programme partners have been working since 2023 to enhance healthcare for local women.

This has included a survey that received over 1,000 responses from residents, the findings of which were discussed at the event and will shape future work.

Lena Samuels, chair of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: "This two-day conference is all about raising the profile of how we improve health services for women.

"We've done some great work over the last couple of years.

"These two days are helping us to build on that by connecting people, connecting services and really helping to inform what our women’s health strategy needs to look like for the coming year."

Fran White, associate director of policy, innovation, and partnerships, said: "We want to reflect the fact that women’s health goes beyond the boundaries of healthcare.

"There are all sorts of different things that can impact it."

The event, held on March 10 and 11 at Portsmouth Guildhall, emphasised the importance of partnership working, with domestic abuse advocates now collaborating with hospital staff to support victims of domestic abuse.

The NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight worked closely with Endometriosis South Coast to co-produce the event, ensuring it met the needs of local communities and professionals.

More information about women's health can be found on the NHS website.