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Urinary Tract Infections: Health Services

Asked by Dr Allison GardnerLabourDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 10 March 2026UIN 117208

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of medical (a) gender inequality and (b) misogyny on the (i) diagnostics and (ii) treatment of urinary tract infections.

Answered by Karin Smyth

The Department has not made a specific assessment. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines, such as those for the diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections, are subject to equality impact assessments as part of NICE’s governance processes, which mean that protected characteristics, including sex, are considered as part of the guideline's development.

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