GPNs to be supported to improve fibroid care for Black women 

Practice nurses and other primary care professionals will be better supported to identify and treat Black women with fibroids, a new report has pledged.

Published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Black Health, the Breaking the Silence: Fibroids, Black Women, Time for Change report, suggested that many  Black women living in the UK with fibroids experience delays, poor care and are dismissed by healthcare professionals.

The report, carried out with the Health Foundation and the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN), is informed by a national fibroids survey launched by the APPG and analysis of 350 respondents – 70% of which identified as Black British and 46% of Caribbean descent.

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More than a quarter of respondents (27%) said they had not been offered any treatment for their fibroids, and of those, ‘many faced delays or dismissal’, the report said.

And over half of respondents experienced diagnostic delays exceeding two years, the survey found.

Some 58% also said they had been unaware of fibroids prior to diagnosis, ‘indicating poor public health education and barriers to early detection’, the report added.

To address the situation, the APPG and CAHN has committed to working ‘closely’ with primary care networks to ‘improve early detection, referral pathways, and culturally competent support for Black women’.

‘This includes engaging GPs, practice nurses, and integrated care teams to embed fibroid awareness and care into routine services,’ the report stated.

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths of muscle and fibrous tissue in or around the uterus that can cause symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, and pressure.

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Dr Paulette Hamilton MP, chair of the APPG and a former district nurse, said: ‘The challenges before us are significant but this report begins to address these issues by laying the groundwork for continued action, policy development and further research. It sets the stage for the work ahead.

‘I am committed to working with CAHN and our partners to take the next steps. Together, we will continue to raise awareness, push for better services, and ensure that Black women’s health is no longer sidelined. This is about equity, dignity, and justice and we are ready to move forward.’

Roundtables with healthcare professionals, including primary care professionals, researchers and community leaders are also scheduled, with the aim of strengthening early intervention and referral pathways in fibrosis care.

Efforts to improve how Black women with fibroids are cared for will be aligned with the ‘three shifts’ outlined by the government in its NHS 10-year health plan, the APPG said, which focuses on shifting care from hospital to community, transitioning from analogue to digital systems, and moving from treatment to prevention.

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The APPG is also focused on ensuring the report findings are implemented in NHS strategic priorities, including the government’s women’s health strategy.

Earlier this month, the government announced plans to publish a ‘renewed’ women’s health strategy to help tackle inequalities and improve access to healthcare for women across England.