6. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the priorities for tackling pain in the Welsh Government's Women’s Health Plan? OQ64046

Yes. We have consistently heard that women and girls feel that they are not heard, and their pain and symptoms are ignored or dismissed. Ensuring that their voices are heard in every interaction they have with the NHS is vital and, crucially, will improve women's outcomes and experiences of services.

Can I welcome the words you've said? I have welcomed the women's health plan, which is something that I and others have called for for a long time. I would pay tribute to what Sarah Murphy has done alongside you on this. Too many women have had to deal with unnecessary pain when accessing healthcare. How many women, I wonder, have been told at some point in their lives by doctors, 'This might hurt', and have been expected to accept pain as normal? There are shocking numbers of women suffering from conditions like endometriosis who have had to fight to get their symptoms recognised, when time after time they have been dismissed by too many clinicians who have doubted their testimony.

There are brilliant doctors who get it, but there are still too many who don't. Women should be believed about their own bodies. This normalisation of women's pain has to be challenged. So, yes, I do welcome the steps that have been taken to address this, but would you agree with me that there is so much further we need to go, so that no women feel frightened to go to their doctor and no women have to accept their pain as a regrettable but just normal part of life?

I agree entirely that women's experiences should be believed in relation to their pain. I would associate myself with the comments that you have made in relation to that. Sarah Murphy, of course, has led for the Government in relation to this important work. I pay tribute to her in her absence, on maternity leave, for the work that she has done proactively to fulfil one of the First Minister's key priorities in this area. Every health board now in Wales has a women's health hub. As of last week, a new women's health website was launched to provide support, information and signposting for women. She will also know that significant steps—she mentioned endometriosis particularly in her question—she will know that there have been significant steps, led by Health Education and Improvement Wales, to commission training for doctors and other clinicians in order to help tackle the challenge that she absolutely correctly sets out. There is a way to go in order to make sure that the experience of the best is shared much more widely and made the universal experience of women as they see their GP.

It's quite some time ago that Suzy Davies, the previous woman Member here, pointed out that too many people—women—suffer with endometriosis and the extreme pain that comes with it. One in 10 have this condition. Wales has roughly 1.6 million women and girls, and 10 per cent of that is around 150,000 to 160,000 women. This figure is likely an underestimate, because many cases go undiagnosed and many women feel it's too embarrassing to go to a GP. On average, women in Wales can wait around 10 years for a diagnosis. The condition does cause chronic pain, fatigue and fertility issues. Will you, as Cabinet Secretary, ensure that, when moving on, whoever takes over your role as the new Cabinet Secretary for health emphasises tackling endometriosis in the women's sector for health? Because, as I say, we talk about it a lot, we now need to see action. Diolch.

Well, reflecting the point that Delyth Jewell made, as well as the point that you just made, significant improvements to training on endometriosis are being made. We funded the Endometriosis Cymru website, which includes resources, information and a symptom tracker. In March of last year, HEIW ran an expert-led GP training webinar on endometriosis to support earlier symptom recognition, which is absolutely vital. And HEIW are developing further training modules, which will be available to all staff, and, indeed, externally as well. Most recently, in December, learning materials for school nurses to use in secondary schools were launched as well to support awareness, and I had a conversation with a young woman in a school in my Constituency about this only last week.

And, finally, just to say that a task and finish group has been set up of key clinicians with specialist skills from the gynaecology clinical implementation network, and it's developing tertiary endometriosis care service specifications as well, including pathways for women. So, I think there's quite a significant body of work already under way on this very, very important issue.