Women who have experienced problems with fertility, the menopause or other reproductive health issues are set to benefit from almost £600,000 government funding.
The grant has been awarded to four organisations across the North West including Mind in Greater Manchester, Maternity Action, Tommy's and The Women's Organisation - with the aim to improve the health of women in the workplace.
Launched in April 2018, the Health and Wellbeing Fund is a joint initiative run by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England (NHSE) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). A new round of the funding is launched every year.
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The theme of the fund for 2022 to 2025 is women’s reproductive wellbeing in the workplace. The fund aims to help women experiencing health issues such as menopause, fertility problems, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, menstrual health and gynaecological conditions to remain in the workplace.
Schemes in the North West include increasing accessibility to legal support and resources for employers so they can better support women who are pregnant, recovering from giving birth, returning from maternity leave or have experienced stillbirth or miscarriage.
Across the North West, £154,095 has been awarded to Mind in Greater Manchester – who are improving health outcomes for women and people experiencing reproductive health issues through delivering workplace training.
The Women's Organisation, who are rolling out a health support package targeting small and medium enterprises employers in England were awarded £187,138.
Tommy's, who help workplaces understand pregnancy journeys including miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and other complications have been granted £145,913.
A further £105,607 was awarded to Maternity Action, who support better health and employment outcomes for working women who are pregnant.
Emma Balfe, Director at Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind, said: "Mind in Greater Manchester are delighted to be able to deliver this comprehensive programme across Greater Manchester.
"It will improve health and employment outcomes for women and people experiencing reproductive health issues (RHI) by delivering managing RHI in the Workplace training to small and medium sized enterprises (SME), targeted awareness raising with communities experiencing racial inequality and a comprehensive 8-week Mindfulness for RHI offer for individuals."
Tommy's Fundraising Director Jacqui Clinton said: "We are very pleased to see funding for reproductive wellbeing in the workplace being prioritised by the Department of Health and Social Care. This grant will enable Tommy’s to develop our workplace training so that together with our partners we can reach thousands of people working for small and medium sized enterprises with trusted pregnancy heath information.
"We know that organisations value having one accessible, expert, online training product for all pregnancy journeys, including those which end in loss and as the UK’s leading pregnancy health charity we are well positioned to provide this much needed support.
"Navigating pregnancy, complications, loss and return to work is complex and this grant will scale up Tommy’s expert advice so that more organisations are better equipped to support people in the workplace."
Ros Bragg, Director of Maternity Action, said: "We are delighted to be working in Greater Manchester and East Cheshire to deliver expert legal advice and support to mothers facing challenges at work. Too many women are unsure of their legal rights or how to negotiate for fair treatment from their employer.
"At a time when many families are struggling, we will help women to keep their jobs and to ensure that their workplace is safe for them and their baby. Women who access our advice services report a reduction in stress, helping to protect them against poor mental health during pregnancy and postnatally."
Maggie O’Carroll, chief executive of the Women’s Organisation, said: "The Women's Organisation will be finding ways to support and improve women’s health in the workplace.
"Through working with women and employers this will offer an opportunity to positively transform women's working lives. It will help employers to put in place the right type of support at the right time. This will help attract and retain more women in the workplace and measurably improve their wellbeing."
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