Part of an investment of £595,000 will be spent to support women in North Cumbria in getting better access to healthcare.

The announcement from Northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) issued yesterday (November 29) outlined three key areas – Sunderland, Gateshead, and North Cumbria, as areas which will receive the investment to support the project.

It aims to reduce the number of appointments in different places so women can get more of their health needs met at one time.

It follows the announcement in March by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) of £25million as part of the ‘Women’s Health Strategy for England’ project.

These created hubs aim to provide easier access to care that is tailored to women’s needs like gynaecology, sexual health, menstrual problems, contraception, pelvic pain, menopause care, and more.

Claire Riley, the ICB's executive director of corporate governance, communications and involvement and women's health lead, said: "Women live longer than men, but spend more of their lives in sickness or disability.

“We're rightly proud of our NHS, but the reality is that services have often been designed by men, for men.

"As a result, women often have to move from service to service, their needs are not always well understood, and many have said they feel they are not listened to.

“There's also variation between areas – for example in menopause care.

"Women's health needs are distinct and show a whole range of inequalities.

“Around 400,000 women enter the menopause every year, with around a quarter suffering severe symptoms. Falls and hip fractures affect more women, while osteoporosis and are major causes of illness and mortality.

"One in three women over 60 experience urinary incontinence, while women often get a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease later, because the symptoms are more varied than for men.

"Many of these challenges are predictable within women's lives, so we are determined to improve the care we provide and listen to women's voices.

"That means providing better services in communities and tailoring services to women's needs – so rather than visiting multiple services, a woman could get help with contraception and heavy bleeding in the same visit, or go through cervical screening at the same time as meeting other healthcare issues.

"Parts of our region have very different needs, so the hubs will be set up in different ways to reflect that."

£50,000 will be invested in services across the more rural North Cumbria, offering ‘one-stop-shop services’ in a range of venues, as well as using digital consultations, video clinics and postal tests and creating a women's health website.

The changes will start during the coming year, with further improvements expected across the whole region in the future.

However, the ICB were unable to clarify which areas of North Cumbria are going to benefit and how patients will be made aware of the changes when they happen at this time, but gave a general timescale of ‘a few months’, depending on staffing and training.