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READY FOR REVOLUTION
If a Welsh MP gets her way, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will be free to every woman in England who needs it.
IS POLICY CHANGE THE KEY?
Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris is spearheading a campaign to improve policy around menopause, and make HRT exempt from NHS prescription charges in England. Prescriptions are free in Wales and Scotland but women in England are still paying for pills, patches, pessaries or gels.
Launching the #MenopauseRevolution, backed by Davina McCall, Carolyn Harris said: “I know from my own experience that for too long, menopause has been overlooked in so many policy areas, from the workplace to healthcare.”
Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris
At Timpson, no one is overlooking menopause and it is high on the agenda. Originally cobblers and shoe menders, the Timpson team was traditionally male but following the acquisition of Max Spielmann, Tesco photos and Johnsons Dry Cleaners with predominantly female workforces, the balance of the sexes evened out.
Timpson’s Director of Happiness Janet Leighton (right) and colleague support worker Laura Garside are leading the company's wellbeing strategy around menopause.
Joel Goodman
According to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine almost eight out of 10 menopausal women are in work and, according to the CEO of Timpson, James Timpson, it is important to keep them there. Writing in The Sunday Times he said: “It is important women are assured that if their work is affected [by menopause], they won’t receive a warning letter or a P45.”
With symptoms like poor concentration, feeling low and tiredness, the menopause can cause problems for any woman worker. Excessively heavy periods and hot flushes can also be excruciatingly embarrassing.
Timpson’s aptly named Director of Happiness Janet Leighton says that their key is an open culture where people aren’t afraid to talk to their team manager about anything that is bothering them. There is a regular wellness email, a wellness page in the newsletter and every week James distributes a three-minute video to all colleagues via WhatsApp. The week Janet spoke to MC Magazine, he had chosen to talk about the menopause.
“He doesn’t profess to be an expert on the matter but it just prompts everyone to think about it.
“The menopause obviously affects women but the young men on our team have got mothers and the older men have wives or sisters who might be going through it so they all need to understand more about it.”
Colleague support worker Laura Garside is leading the company’s wellbeing strategy around menopause.
She said: “There is a lot of information for teenagers about puberty when they are at school and then again when a woman gets pregnant. The next major change for women is the menopause and there is very little support or discussion about what is, after all, a natural process.”
“Our area managers and development managers know their teams and we encourage everyone to be open about anything that is bothering them. The more they know about the menopause and the more they understand, the easier it is for them to open up that conversation.”
• The Menopause (Support and Services) Bill will get its second reading in Parliament on October 29 this year.
