Screenshot of the Women’s Mental Health Taskforce report

Today the government's Women’s Mental Health Taskforce published its findings in a report which sets out why mental health is worsening among women and why some women aren’t getting the right support from mental health services. 

METRO worked with the taskforce to contribute to this report by sharing the lived experiences of lesbian, bisexual, trans and queer (LBTQ) women and non-binary people who use our services. We ran two focus groups to explore key themes and highlight what mattered to women and non-binary people in their mental health care.

The report includes these lived experiences of mental ill health and healthcare services and sets out some of the changes that need to happen to improve support for women. It covers core themes in women’s mental health, principles for service design and future strategic priorities.

It recommends that commissioners and healthcare providers integrate gender and trauma into their approaches, which means taking into account the particular needs of women and any abuse or trauma they may have suffered.

Andrew Evans, Acting METRO CEO, said:

"We welcome this report and its focus on gender and trauma-informed approaches. We know that women and non-binary people often do not have their needs met by mainstream services. The people who use our services tell us they have found it difficult to get the right care and are sometimes left further traumatised by bad experiences.

The report outlines a series of principles which we hope will be adopted across health services. We look forward to working with other organisations to ensure that all women and non-binary people can access the care they need when they need it."

You can read the full report on the GOV.UK website.