Menopausal women in NHS allowed to work from home

Menopausal women working in the NHS will be able to work from home if their symptoms require it, the head of the health service has said.

Issuing the first-ever national NHS guidance on menopause, Amanda Pritchard said other employers should follow suit in order to help middle-aged women “thrive” at work.

“Flexible working patterns” - including lighter duties - will be considered for those struggling with their symptoms, under the plans.

Writing for The Telegraph, Ms Pritchard says female health workers who were “silently suffering” should not be expected to just “grin and bear it”.

The guidance instructs NHS employers to consider “any reasonable adjustments to their working pattern” - including shorter hours, flexible breaks and remote working.

The changes come at a time when a record 7.1 million people are stuck on waiting lists, with staff shortages at a record high.

One in 10 posts is unfilled, leaving hospitals struggling to catch up with backlogs which swelled during the pandemic.

The changes could mean thousands of staff take are off front-line duties at a time of record pressures. But the health chief insisted that allowing menopausal women more flexibility when they needed it would boost the workforce in the long term.

“Menopause is not a health condition, it’s a stage of life, and I want all women facing this transition in the NHS to have access to the right support to stay in and thrive at work,” Ms Pritchard says.

The NHS is the biggest employer of women in Britain. Of its 1.3 million staff, more than one million are female. One in five of all employees are women of menopausal age.

“Women approaching or going through menopause should not have to put up with feeling uncomfortable at work, or feel any shame in talking about a transition which is simply a part of life,” Ms Pritchard writes.

“With symptoms ranging from muscle aches and joint pain, to hot flushes, anxiety, difficulties sleeping and brain fog – this obviously has a huge impact on your ability to work and go about your daily life,” she continues.

Ms Pritchard said the new guidance would mean “practical measures” to support female workers.

“Simple steps like flexible working patterns, fans to help make temperatures more comfortable, cooler uniforms, and staff training can make a big difference and I want to see this happening right across the board,” she writes.

The new guidance for NHS England says managers should support women experiencing symptoms to discuss “whether it would be helpful to consider any reasonable adjustments to their working pattern: for example, asking if working flexibly would support them in the workplace”.

These could include “opportunities to switch to lighter duties” if a risk assessment supports them, with managers told to ensure mechanisms to “manage remote working” are in place.

Managers are also asked to consider whether start and finish times could be adjusted, or flexible arrangements introduced so women struggling with symptoms can take breaks when it suits them best.

Ms Pritchard says that women aged between 45 and 54 make up a fifth of the NHS workforce - with up to 260,000 experiencing menopause at work.

Health officials said the new guidance, launched at the Confederation of Business Industry’s annual conference, was designed to be transferable to all workplaces.

Research suggests that menopause costs the economy £10 billion a year in sick leave, and the costs of replacing those who leave work.  

A study by the Fawcett Society found that one in 10 women are forced out of work because of a lack of suitable support.

Menopause is a natural part of ageing for women typically between 45 and 55 years old, when their periods stop due to lower hormone levels.

Research by the Menopause Society suggests that half of women taking time off because of debilitating symptoms would not tell their employer the real reason.

Ms Pritchard said that making changes to support menopause could keep more in work, at a time of record vacancies in the NHS.

‘It’s common sense’

Carolyn Harris, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Menopause, welcomed the moves, for which she has long campaigned.  

She said: “This isn’t about every woman going through menopausal symptoms working from home, or wanting to, that adjustment wouldn’t always be possible. But what we have said to employers for a long time is that there is always something you can do. It may be about making sure there are uniforms in breathable fabric, or that staff are able to change the times of their shifts so they don’t have to travel on busy commuter trains.”

Those who thought the policies meant extra perks for women knew little of the realities of menopause, she suggested.

“Any man who thinks that is a walk in the park has got another thing coming,” she said.

Mariella Frostrup, chairman of the campaign group Menopause Mandate, said she applauded the guidance.

“Regarding flexible working, should a woman feel that her symptoms are affecting her ability to do her job, then of course employers should support her in the same way they would should she be struggling with pregnancy,” she said.

“It isn’t a concession, it’s common sense.”