Women facing avoidable deaths due to healthcare barriers, charity warns

Women in Scotland are suffering avoidable deaths because their health concerns are not being taken seriously, a charity has warned.

A report by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland claims women are “being failed” by the health system because of barriers to accessing healthcare for chest, heart, stroke and other long-term conditions.

The charity has set out its new Women’s Health Plan, aiming to improve awareness, prevention, diagnosis and support for women, while calling for greater research, better training and funding.

Professor Anna Glasier OBE, the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Champion, is among those who have helped launch the initiative.

“I’m often asked ‘When are we going to have a men’s health plan?’ and I say we have one: It’s called the NHS,” she told STV News.

“There are differences in the way women are managed, which puts them at a disadvantage compared with men.

“If a woman goes to her GP with chest pain at the age of 50, a GP is more likely to think it’s indigestion or anxiety. If a man goes with chest pain, it’s a heart attack until proven otherwise.”

Figures cited in the report show women in Scotland are 50% more likely than men to receive an initial misdiagnosis after a heart attack, while women across the UK wait significantly longer for a heart failure diagnosis.

‘Women are not being listened to’

Angela has COPD, diabetes and has suffered multiple aneurysms STV News

Among those supporting the plan is Angela Bradley, 56, from Dalkeith.

She has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), diabetes and has survived five brain aneurysms and two strokes.

She said she spent years juggling family responsibilities while putting her health on the “back burner,” which she believes was made worse by medical dismissal.

“I know my body as most people do. I was pushing myself aside, but so was my GP. But you tend to move on and just get on with things.”

She recalled having to fight for years for her COPD to be taken seriously before she was diagnosed.

“I was told ‘you’ve got a chest infection, you’ll be fine,'” she added.

“It was frustrating. I knew something deeper was going on.

“I wasn’t being taken seriously. I had to push to get my health seen to.”

By 2023, Angela’s health reached a critical point, culminating in a stroke, which she says changed her entire life.

The stroke left her with severe fatigue, unable to drive because of foot drop and with ongoing mobility difficulties.

Angela suffers from multiple health conditions STV News

“This stroke really affected me physically. I didn’t want to speak to anybody. I was fed up because of everything that happened to me.

“If I had addressed everything, things might have been different. Was what happened in 2023 on my cards? I cannot say.

“It’s had a big impact on my day-to-day life. Life is difficult.”

Angela says it’s worrying how little things have changed over the past two decades, recalling a hysterectomy she underwent at the age of 29.

“I had to have a hysterectomy because I got ignored. I’m now 56, and things are still happening like that.”

She says her 34-year-old daughter, who has endometriosis, is now also experiencing medical dismissal.

“She has been fighting for years to be seen by a doctor in the hospital, and she still hasn’t seen one.

“She keeps getting buffed off by the GP. Because it’s her period. That’s what she is getting told. It’s absolute rubbish.

“When you get buffed off too many times, you stop going to the doctors.”

Angela believes societal pressures faced by women also have a disproportionate impact on their health.

“Women are expected to go and do their full day’s work, come home, set up the house, look after the kids and deal with everyday life.

“They have more challenging problems nowadays, and they’re expected to deal with them. But they’re not listened to. We should be listened to.”

She says peer support groups provided by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland are helping her recovery.

“The person running it was absolutely fantastic, a beacon of light,” she said. “It gets me out my house.

“You must look after yourself so you can look after your family too. I never used to ask for help, but I’ve learned to. It’s so important.”

‘The health service fails women’

Scottish Government's women's health champion Professor Anna Glasier — Scottish Government’s women’s health champion Professor Anna Glasier STV News

Professor Glasier says the reasons behind the neglect of women in the health system is down to multiple factors, including subconscious bias.

She says women see their GP more regularly than men throughout their lives due to family responsibilities and reproductive healthcare needs, meaning their concerns may not always be taken as seriously.

“It’s easy to think something is not as urgent as when a man goes to see their GP,” she added.

She said women’s health needs differ from men’s, but that is not always reflected in healthcare protocols.

“The reality is women have different health conditions than men do, particularly reproductive health issues, and they’re often not as well managed.

“There are many health conditions which are more likely to affect women than men, including dementia, autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis. There are lots of issues where women are less likely to get effective treatment.”

Women facing health disparities

Figures show that women in Scotland are 50% more likely than men to receive an initial misdiagnosis after a heart attack, and across the UK, women are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed with heart failure, many waiting an average of 20 weeks for a diagnosis compared with just 3.6 weeks for men.

Additionally, there are more than 4,600 incidences of stroke in women in Scotland every year, with over 1,200 dying as a result.

Asthma and COPD are also more common in women, who are also nearly twice as likely to die from asthma as men.

The disparities run right through the system, with women less likely to be offered diagnostic testing within 72 hours of a heart attack and less likely to be prescribed medication that reduces the risk of a second one.

Moreover, conditions that predominantly affect women, such as Long Covid and heart conditions like coronary microvascular dysfunction, continue to be under-researched and under-diagnosed. While four in five women say they are not listened to by healthcare professionals.

CHSS say they will lead action to address them through prevention programmes, professional education, policy influence and improved support for women across Scotland.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland chief Jane-Claire Judson STV News

Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “I don’t think anybody can fail to be shocked by the figures we’re seeing. It’s an indefensible situation.”

“Women have been telling us for years that their symptoms aren’t being taken seriously, and the evidence backs them up.

“When we talk about women’s health, we need to look beyond reproductive and maternal health alone. Women experience inequalities across a wide range of conditions, including chest, heart, stroke and Long Covid conditions, and they deserve equitable access to the information, support and care they need.

“Our CHSS Women’s Health Plan is about listening to those experiences and turning them into meaningful action. By improving awareness, supporting earlier detection and diagnosis, and ensuring women are heard when they seek help, we can begin to address inequalities that have persisted for far too long.”