Women’s Health Ministerial Summit

Published: Dydd Mercher Gorffennaf 29, 2026

On Tuesday, 16^th July, team members from Women’s Health Research Wales (WHRW) joined the Women’s Health Ministerial Summit. The summit brought together a mix of people across all parts of Wales and health care services including patients, researchers, healthcare professionals and policymakers.

A woman with blonde hair in a messy bun stands behind a podium speaking into a microphone. She is wearing a black dress with red patterns, and is positioned in front of a cabinet full of books. — Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health of Wales speaks at the Women’s Health Ministerial Summit.

The summit was hosted by Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health, and Women’s Health of Wales, Delyth Jewell. Also in attendance was First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth. Dr Alison Cooper was invited to represent WHRW, alongside FTWW: Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales, our third sector PPIE co-lead.

Speakers in the morning focused on the topic of normalisation of women’s pain in healthcare and during medical procedures. Volunteers from FTWW spoke about the importance of listening to the patient voice concerning pain during procedures. Conversation discussed how the link between pain and medical procedures can cause medical trauma and result in patients foregoing needed medical care.

A tall middle-aged man in a grey suit, light blue shirt and teal blue tie is standing on the left of the photo holding out his left hand towards two women. The woman in the middle has brown curly hair and is wearing a white shawl over a patterend floral dress with a black handbag, and the woman on the right has light brown hair and is wearing a floral-patterned dress. All three are talking. — First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth speaks with Dr Alison Cooper of WHRW and other participants at the Women’s Health Ministerial Summit

In the afternoon, speakers talked about the importance of co-production and the inclusion of patient voices. FTWW talked about including women’s voices when designing services and ensuring that that those voices are embedded along every stage of service development through to delivery and evaluation.

Conversations highlighted the need for more equitable care and early intervention especially with pain prevention. Other key points highlighted the lack of focus on women’s health in nursing and medical training, and how that could be addressed.

The summit re-confirmed the commitment to the Women’s Health Plan for Wales, with a priority on involving women’s voices in what comes next. An ongoing focus will be on better understanding that pain should not be seen as “normal” or “acceptable” when treating women, and how to address the lack of women’s health-specific medical training.

Throughout the event, Dr Alison Cooper and FTWW staff highlighted WHRW’s dedication to working together with patients, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders in our research to benefit the women of Wales and beyond.

We hope further iterations of the event will highlight the successes of conversations held this year, and the role research and innovation can play in making aspirations a reality.