Collaborative working with secondary care to enable increased provision of menopause care by primary care services

Abstract

Background

The vast majority of menopause care is delivered by primary care services; however, in recent years there has been an increase in referrals to secondary care services resulting in longer waiting times for patients.

Aim

Facilitate the delivery of effective and timely menopause care for women without need for referral and long waits at Mid Yorkshire Hospital Teaching Trust (MYHTT). This required collaboration between primary and secondary care services.

Methods

(1) Development of joint Menopause Care & HRT Formulary. (2) Review of Menopause Referrals to MYHTT. (3) Developing Women’s Health Leads network & Women’s Health Hub via Microsoft Teams channel. (4) Streamlining management of unscheduled bleeding on HRT. (5) Developed Patient information for Menopause and HRT leaflets in the five most spoken languages in our community.

Results

Over 70% reduction in referrals to MYHTT to menopause service and over 30% reduction in referrals to post-menopausal bleeding clinics. It demonstrates that our shared learning approach has bridged the gap between primary and secondary care, creating a more supportive and inclusive healthcare environment.