Incontinence: Women
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of delayed diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence on women and girls; and if he will ensure the renewed Women's Health Strategy for England includes specific measures to improve access to continence services and reduce regional variation in care.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
Continence is an important component in a person’s health and well-being at any stage of life. Early assessment by an appropriately trained professional allows a patient centred care pathway to be followed.
The Renewed Women's Health Strategy for England, published in April 2026, recognises that these conditions are often normalised by women and girls themselves and by wider society, with many women viewing symptoms such as leaking as an inevitable part of pregnancy, childbirth, ageing or the menopause. It also recognises that many women feel too embarrassed to seek support, which can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment. The Women’s Health Strategy is not condition specific, instead it focuses on systemic changes including redesigning services, improving diagnosis, and embedding women and girls’ voices so that care improves across all conditions. It sets out how the Government will make women and girls’ voices and choices central in healthcare, transform National Health Service performance in services that matter most to women, support all women to live healthy, prosperous lives and create an approach to research and development that works for and empowers women.
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