A specialist clinic providing tailored perimenopause and menopause support for women is being opened in Cardiff.
The women’s health hub is the first of its kind in the capital city and is tailored to women aged 40 to 65.
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Sarah Murphy, visited the East Cardiff Menopause Hub this week to hear more about the new service, which will provide patient-centred advice, treatment, and community support in one place.
It is part of a Wales-wide network of pathfinder women’s health hubs opened in the first phase of delivering the Women's Health Plan.
Women registered with one of the East Cardiff GP Cluster practices will be able to access extended 20 minute consultations, face-to-face, by telephone or online, with GPs experienced in menopause care and receive wider healthcare support from practice nurses, including blood pressure checks, lifestyle advice and guidance on hormone replacement therapy.
A Menopause Café, open to women of any age, will also provide a welcoming community space to share experiences and ask questions.
Sarah Murphy said:
It was fantastic to visit the Maelfa hub and see first-hand how Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is bringing high-quality, compassionate care closer to home for women in East Cardiff.
Women's health hubs will make it easier for women in Wales to get care when they need it.
As the pathfinder hubs are rolled out, we'll be listening to women's feedback and adapting to make sure we are building a health service which meets the needs of women and girls, now and for generations to come
Dr Claire Beynon, Executive Director of Public Health at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said:
Too many women feel unsupported or unheard when seeking help for the symptoms of menopause. The East Cardiff Menopause Hub is a really positive step in bringing high-quality, compassionate care closer to home, with longer appointments and specialist expertise focused on women's health needs.
By combining clinical care with community support, this service helps women feel informed, confident and in control of their health. It also reflects our wider commitment to reducing health inequalities.
By March, there will be a pathfinder women's health hub in every health board in Wales. Each health board has received an additional £300,000 this financial year to support their development.
The hubs form part of the Women's Health Plan, which includes more than 60 actions to close the gender health gap and is based on feedback from around 4,000 women across Wales.