Enhancing menopause support

Overview

Menopause support is essential in the NHS, where most of the workforce are female and symptoms can directly affect health, job performance and retention. In 2018, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust launched a dedicated menopause strategy, which allowed staff to access tailored events, peer support groups and management training, creating a more open, supportive culture around menopause and helping to reduce stigma, improve wellbeing and retain experienced staff. 

What the organisation faced

With 81 per cent of its permanent workforce identifying as female and 35 per cent aged over 50, the trust recognised the need for a proactive, compassionate response to menopause in the workplace. With the average age of menopause in the UK being 51 with some experiencing it as early as 40, the trust saw an opportunity retain a healthier, more engaged workforce by addressing menopause-related challenges directly. 

What the organisation did

In 2018, Suzanne Banks, former chief nurse at Sherwood Forest Hospital Foundation Trust, set up and led a working group including human resources, occupational health, sexual health, gynecology clinicians, communications and trade unions. The group continues to meet monthly, chaired by the people wellbeing lead.

The people wellbeing lead also chairs the integrated care system (ICS) menopause working group, who have delivered two successful online ICS menopause events for colleagues. This means that the whole health and social care workforce across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICS were able to benefit from sessions that support them to manage symptoms. 

This brought about opportunities for colleagues that would not be possible if one trust was working alone. The benefits included:

• Speakers with special interests from the specialities in each trust, as well as speakers with lived experience from varied roles.
• The first menopause conference in 2018 and a second in 2019 were developed for line managers and colleagues. COVID-19 limited big events but in 2022, 2023 and 2024 the trust developed online menopause events. Sherwood Forest Hospitals, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham City Care and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust worked together in order to bring a variety of professional speakers and those with lived experience.
• The wellbeing and occupational health team worked together using feedback from colleagues to develop a bespoke menopause awareness for managers training. This is delivered at least four times a year, colleague can either book on or can be offered as a package delivery to a specific team. For example, the training has been delivered to some predominantly male manager teams in a targeted approach to improve awareness.
• In 2022, the wellbeing team established a menopause peer support session called - ‘take a pause to talk about menopause’. This runs bimonthly over MS Teams. Colleagues support one another by sharing how they have overcome challenges. It is very much lead by the staff who are currently experiencing menopause. The group invites regular guest speakers and was recently joined by a physiotherapist who conducted a session on pelvic floor and bladder strengthening and a session with a specialist occupational health nurse which were very successful.
• The trust has menopause books available in the library sponsored by the trade union.
• Referrals into occupational health include menopause as an optional sickness code to help data collection.
• The trust continues to raise awareness both internally and externally through their chief nurse bulletins, communications bulletin, word of mouth and social media, and continues to be well-supported by both local and regional media.

Results and benefits

The trust has held five menopause events since 2018, two of which were developed as an ICS. The impact over the past few years has been significant:

• A live BBC East Midlands interview took place at the first conference in 2018 and media attended the second conference in 2019.
• In 2022, colleagues came forward to share their stories on film that was used for awareness raising and continues to be used in training to this day.
• In 2023, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust colleagues created a video explaining the importance of having conversations and supporting colleagues at work. This video was shown at the trust public board of directors meeting and then used widely across social media to promote the support.
• In July 2023, a colleague came forward to share that as a result of the ‘take a pause’ peer support group, they had the confidence to reach out to their GP after struggling for a long time. This has led to new treatment and improved symptoms keeping them happy, healthy and in work.
• The trust’s commitment to wellbeing, including its menopause strategy, has contributed to consistently high staff morale. In the 2023 Staff Survey, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was voted best acute trust in the Midlands to work for and ranked nationally for staff morale and staff engagement, for the sixth year running.
• In October 2024, the wellbeing survey revealed that 64.5 per cent of colleagues had heard about or used the menopause peer support group.
• Colleagues have started to record menopause related sickness absence on Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and Health Roster. While current numbers are low, this marks an important cultural shift acknowledging menopause as a legitimate health concern in the workplace.

Takeaway tips

• Engage your colleagues in co-production when designing training and communication methods.
• Peer support and real stories from your colleagues can offer hope and generate some of the most impactful feedback.
• It’s very important to get executive buy-in and sponsorship because it helps to implement a cultural change.
• Use menopause support as a retention strategy to keep your most experienced and skilled workforce.
• Act on your feedback from the menopause events to inform future events and the monthly support group.
• By tracking menopause related absence, you can build a clear picture of what support colleagues need.
• Sometimes the small, simple changes can make big differences to colleagues e.g. moving the desk location in an office to be near the window.
• Keep the conversation going. Normalising menopause discussions helps break the taboo and build a more inclusive culture.

Resource examples

The trust created an e-learning module on joint pain and fatigue in menopause to help support staff and managers. They also created leaflets on these topics and information on the best contacts offering support which have so far received positive feedback from staff. They then distributed these resources through leaflet drops, displays and via email. You can find the leaflets below:

• Let's talk about menopause
• Menopause- why do I feel fatigued?
• Menopause - why do my joints and muscles ache? 

Further information

For more information about the work in this case study, contact Amy Gouldstone, people wellbeing lead, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.