Women from across Walsall got together recently, marking the third in a series of events as part of an ongoing programme of work focused on understanding what matters most to women in Walsall.
The event, led by Walsall Together, Brownhills Community Association and One Walsall, welcomed special guests including the Mayor of Walsall Councillor Louise Harrison and local MP Wendy Morton, showing strong support for improvements in women’s health across the borough.
Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Louise Harrison said, “It was truly inspiring to see so many women come together to share their experiences and shape the future of health services in Walsall. Listening to the voices of women from all walks of life is essential to build a borough where everyone feels heard, supported and empowered. I’m proud to support this important work and look forward to seeing the positive changes it will bring.”
Central to the event was the presentation of feedback from a borough-wide listening exercise, where over 300 women shared their experiences, concerns, and what they want to see in the future. The findings revealed a number of themes including women feeling dismissed and unheard by family members, healthcare professionals, and employers as well as a lack of clear, accessible, and trustworthy and quality information about their health and wellbeing to enable them to make informed decisions and importantly, the solutions and responses women want do not always revolve around clinical or medical interventions
“Women across Walsall have told us that they feel overlooked and overwhelmed when it comes to their health needs. We’ve been doing a lot of work to listening to women across the borough within our diverse communities to understand what women feel is important for their health and wellbeing and what challenges they may face” said Dr Ravi Sandhu, Women’s Clinical Lead for Walsall Together. “This event was about feeding back to women about what we heard and working with them to design sustainable solutions to improve experiences for our women.”
The programme is now entering a collaborative design phase, working directly with women to develop sustainable solutions to the issues raised with ideas including drop in sessions and expert Q&As, training and self-help workshops, self-care packages and peer-led support, high-quality health information delivered in multiple formats, stronger links with primary, secondary, and mental health services and improved access to essential items like sanitary products.
The event also featured presentations from bowel and bladder specialist nurses, alongside stories from women with lived experience highlighting the real, everyday challenges faced by many. The Self Care team also presented and revealed plans for a new women’s focused health session tailored to the needs identified as part of the listening exercise.
An interactive and creative session invited attendees to explore the idea of “What does a typical Walsall woman look like now?” and “What could she look like with more support?” The exercise sparked lively discussion and inspired a shared vision of a healthier, more supported future for women in the borough.
The event received positive feedback from attendees, who valued the opportunity to connect and be heard.
Janet Davies, Centre Manager, Brownhills Community Association, said: “Hosting the Women’s Health Hub was a powerful reminder of how important it is to create space for open, honest conversations. It was inspiring to see so many people come together, share experiences, and champion better health outcomes for all women."
Debra Mohammed, Frank F Harrison Community Centre said: “I thought the event was enjoyable. It was great to meet other women and share experiences of women’s health. Well done to everyone involved.”
All the comments received will be used to continue shaping services and solutions that meet the needs of women locally.
