"By connecting women with more expert GPs, we’re helping them get the answers, care, and support they need without the long waits."
- Macarena Staudenmaier Keglevich, Head of Clinical Product & Operations at Simplyhealth
Simplyhealth’s customers will have access to a dedicated women’s health pathway included in their plan at no additional cost. The health plan provider believes receiving care from a specialist GP can help address health inequities experienced by women in primary care, as well as provide a more holistic healthcare proposition.
When referring to women, Simplyhealth recognises that many women’s health concerns apply to those assigned female at birth, identify as female, or exhibit female biological and/or physiological traits.
This pathway sits alongside its existing healthcare services, offering policyholders access to advice & guidance for menopause, contraception, and menstruation, amongst other concerns. To access women’s health-focused GPs, policyholders must select ‘Women’s Health’ as the reason for booking an appointment. Policyholders will still have the option to book with a regular GP – they could be seen sooner.
“I’ve had a bad experience previously with a GP trying to discuss menopause issues and ended up feeling like I’m the problem - they suggested a referral to a psychiatrist rather than understanding what I was saying about perimenopause symptoms.
“The GP [provided by Simplyhealth] was much better. She gave me the confidence to advocate for myself,” observed a policyholder who’d uses Simplyhealth’s women’s health pathway.
This service builds on existing services targeting women’s health, including access to discounted preventative care services across mammograms for people over the age of 40 and at-home health test kits that measure eight key female hormones to learn if they could be affecting weight, mood, and/or energy levels.
Simplyhealth will soon announce new partners, expanding its Women’s Health Charity Alliance.
“The UK faces the largest female health gap in the G20 and the 12th largest globally, and it’s something we’re deeply committed to helping address. 96% of women told us they’d prefer seeing a women’s health-focused GP for future concerns. This tells us we’re on the right track,” explained Macarena Staudenmaier Keglevich, Head of Clinical Product & Operations at Simplyhealth.
She said: “By connecting women with more expert GPs, we’re helping them get the answers, care, and support they need without the long waits. This service is just one way we’re working to make healthcare more responsive, accessible, and truly supportive for all our policyholders.”
Emma Southworth, GP & Deputy Medical Director at HealthHero, added: “We’re proud to have developed a simple approach to improving care for women, by giving patients the option to consult with a GP that has specific expertise in women’s health. Through this pathway, we aim to provide consultations as relevant and empathetic as possible within a normal GP appointment.
“It has been encouraging to see such positive feedback from patients feeling heard through this new approach which brings to life HealthHero’s mission to simplify healthcare and ultimately, improve lives,” she concluded.
