Women’s Health Plan - phase two development: short life working group - terms of reference

Purpose of group

The Women’s Health Plan - phase two development short life working group (SLWG) will work to inform and develop the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan. 

Remit

Building on the progress of the Women’s Health Plan 2021-2024 the SLWG will develop the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan by:

• sharing their expertise to inform the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan
• identifying gaps in the provision of services, consider existing areas of best practice and consider actions to address these gaps
• engage with their organisations and networks to support the development of the next phase of the Plan

Scope 

A second phase of the Women’s Health Plan is likely to cover a range of issues across a woman’s life course and will consider the many factors that contribute to the health of women. The group will build on the priorities of the Women’s Health Plan 2021to 2024:

• ensuring rapid and easily-accessible postnatal contraception
• improving access to abortion and contraception services for young women
• improving services for women undergoing the menopause, including increasing the understanding and knowledge of women, families, healthcare professionals and employers
• reducing inequalities in health outcomes which affect women, such as endometriosis and antenatal care
• reducing inequalities in health outcomes for women’s general health, including work on cardiac disease

Chair

The group will be co-chaired by Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Prof Marion Bain, and Scotland’s Women’s Health Champion, Prof Anna Glasier OBE.

Membership

See the group's membership.

Group membership may be modified during the course of the development of the next phase of the Plan, as appropriate. 

Frequency of meetings

It is anticipated that this group will meet on four occasions to meet the needs of the programme deliverables. Meetings will be hybrid where possible. 

Minute of meetings

Agenda, papers and action logs will be distributed at least five working days in advance of each meeting. 

Minutes will be drafted by the Women’s Health Plan team, approved by the Chair, and agreed by the group. All minutes and action notes will be circulated no later than 10 working days after each meeting.

Group member behaviours

It is the responsibility of each member of the delivery group to:

• attend and actively participate in discussions at meetings
• access papers and prepare accordingly prior to meetings
• provide feedback where required
• report back on activities of the programme to relevant stakeholders

Lifespan

The lifespan of the delivery group is until successful delivery of the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan, this is estimated to be in 2025.  

Governance 

The Chair of the group will be accountable to the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health.