Women's Health Stakeholder Engagement

As part of the Women's Health Action Plan 2024-2025 Phase 2: An Evolution in Women's Health, a new "Patient Voice" listening exercise, to hear from women about their experiences of our healthcare services over recent years, was conducted in April 2025.

The Women's Experiences of Healthcare in Ireland Listening Forum, in partnership with the National Women's Council of Ireland, consisted of two workstreams.

Workstream A, led by the Department of Health, focused on broad engagement with women from various backgrounds.

Workstream B, led by the National Women’s Council of Ireland, was a targeted initiative to capture the experiences of women facing significant structural and health inequalities and who are often categorised as priority groups in national policies. These included migrant women, Traveller and Roma women, disabled women, older women, LGBTQ+ individuals (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning), women experiencing homelessness or addiction, and victims and survivors of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence (DSGBV).

While two distinct reports were developed in relation to these workstreams, a joint report examines the key themes which emerged from each workstream.

The three reports published from “Our Health, Our Voices”: Women’s Experience of Healthcare in Ireland Listening Forum can be found here: Minister for Health publishes reports from Women's Experiences of Healthcare in Ireland Listening Forum

On the 1 September 2025, the Department of Health hosted an Endometriosis Patient Forum, to hear directly from women affected with the condition. Following the Forum, Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, committed to the established of an Endometriosis Advisory Group under the umbrella of the Women’s Health Taskforce. An Endometriosis Priority Actions Advisory Group, comprising of advocates, policy maker and clinicians has been established. Terms of reference available below.

Women’s Health Discussions