Bupa Health Clinics has enhanced its support for women, launching a new Menopause Plan and partnering with the charity, Wellbeing of Women.
Menopause Plan is a new product from Bupa Health Clinics which gives women 45 minutes with a trained menopause GP who will develop a personalised care plan for managing their symptoms. Customers will then have follow-up appointment 12 weeks later, and access to Bupa’s Anytime Healthline, a 24/7 nurse-led service, for a year, where all nurses have been trained in menopause care.
Many women don’t realise what’s happening to their bodies during menopause, with symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and aching joints as well as increased anxiety and low mood. A quarter of menopausal women experience debilitating symptoms, making access to the right support and information is crucial.
When seeking advice from their GPs, women are finding that while many GPs in the UK are experienced and knowledgeable on women’s health, a gap still exists. This is because training in identifying and managing the menopause is not a compulsory part of GP training and NICE guidelines only came into place in 2015. As such some GPs can find themselves ill equipped to recognise and manage symptoms in a typical 10-minute appointment, thereby not knowing to direct women to the pool of resources and support they need.
Bupa has also launched their new women’s health hub, which is accessible to everyone and aims to be a go-to source of information and guidance on topics covering women’s health events, from periods to menopause.
Alaana Woods, Commercial Director at Bupa Health Clinics said: “There are nine million women in the UK aged between 40 and 60. Many of these women could be experiencing some symptoms of menopause, and there is a high chance they may not have access to the right support.
“Over the last few years, we’ve identified menopause as a key stage in a woman’s life where more support is needed. This is why I’m delighted that we’ve launched Menopause Plan and our new women’s health hub to give women access to treatment, advice and guidance.
“A 45-minute appointment with a GP who is trained in this area is invaluable, especially for women who find it difficult to open up or are embarrassed by symptoms they’re experiencing.
“We’re also incredibly proud to partner with the charity Wellbeing of Women and will be giving 5% of each Menopause Plan sold to them to help fund vital research into women’s health.”
Wellbeing of Women invest in pioneering research which helps find cures and develops new tests and treatments that will save and change the lives of women, girls and babies.
Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, adds: “Wellbeing of Women is delighted to be partnering with Bupa as they launch their new Menopause Plan to support women going through menopause.
“The menopause directly affects half the population, yet it has remained a stubbornly taboo topic. Supporting women through this stage provides opportunities to help them manage any symptoms, promote healthy lifestyles and prevent diseases such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
“We are thrilled that Bupa will be donating 5% from every menopause appointment to Wellbeing of Women, the only UK charity dedicated to investing in pioneering research into women’s reproductive and gynaecological health to support girls and women across their life-course.”
About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world.
We are an international healthcare company serving over 31 million customers worldwide. With no shareholders, we reinvest profits into providing more and better healthcare for the benefit of current and future customers.
We directly employ around 85,000 people, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Chile, Poland, New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, the US, Middle East and Ireland. We also have associate businesses in Saudi Arabia and India.
