The NHS in South Yorkshire has held the first Sheffield Menopause Conference, the organisers aim to tackle the taboo that has impacted many of its essential workers, with a host of key speakers.
Alice Pennock, communications officer, said: “The menopause can impact both home and work due to the symptoms it can cause, which can lead to relationship breakdowns and difficulties at work,
“Women make up nearly half of the workforce in the UK, with 72,000 colleagues working across the NHS and social care.”
Pennock went on to say that the conference was aimed specifically at senior leaders in the health and social care sectors, also saying menopause was too ‘taboo’ a subject in the workplace.
Currently, there are 70 trained menopause advocates across the NHS, social care, primary care, and voluntary sectors who look to educate employees and minimise the impact menopause can have on the workplace.
Brigitte Kaviani, Head of Health and Wellbeing at NHS South Yorkshire, said, “There are huge numbers of our workforce benefiting from our menopause programme, but our menopause is about more than large numbers.”
Christine Joy, Chief People Officer at NHS South Yorkshire, and speaker, said: “Supporting people with menopausal symptoms is not a nice thing to do, it is essential”.
South Yorkshire Integrated Care System is hosting the day following ‘Menofest’, two half-day events that took place last year and were attended by 550 colleagues.
Pennock also went on to say the ICS ran a similar event in October 2022, which was able to attract 550 people.
She finished by saying: “It is important that both men and women attend the South Yorkshire menopause conference, as menopause does not only affect women but the people around them.”
The conference also comes a month after legislation was passed to support the rights of women experiencing menopause.
