Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In conversation with nursing pioneers brings together RCN Fellows and women’s health experts to explore how nurses have led change.
Ever since Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, nurses have blazed a trail in women’s healthcare, including reproductive and maternity health. They have pioneered improvements in practice, carried out cutting-edge research and advanced education.
This event for International Women's Day brings together a panel of RCN Fellows and women’s health experts to explore how nurses have pioneered change in women’s health in the context of a largely male, patriarchal and misogynistic medical establishment. Nurses have been at the forefront of gynaecology and reproductive health services and in women’s health more generally to improve clinical care and outcomes in cardiac health, cancer and mental health. They have pioneered improvements in practice, carried out cutting-edge research and advanced education for nurses.
However much remains to be done. Gynaecology is an underfunded and low status service, women’s health hubs are poorly resourced and offer an inconsistent service and maternal health outcomes for BME women are significantly lower than those among white women. Health outcomes remain poor for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, BME (Black & minority ethic) and marginalised women.
The panel will argue that this is because women’s health, including maternity, has been underfunded and stigmatised. It has been seen as dirty nursing. The women’s health strategy (2024) is an opportunity to address this historical underfunding and stigma but the jury is out on how effective this policy will be in addressing systemic problems in women’s health.
Speakers are RCN Fellows Debra Holloway MBE, Tendai Nzirawa and Wendy Norton. The event will be chaired by Cecilia Anim CBE.
This event was recorded in March 2025.
In conversation with nursing pioneers brings together RCN Fellows and women’s health experts to explore how nurses have led change.
Ever since Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, nurses have blazed a trail in women’s healthcare, including reproductive and maternity health. They have pioneered improvements in practice, carried out cutting-edge research and advanced education.
This event for International Women's Day brings together a panel of RCN Fellows and women’s health experts to explore how nurses have pioneered change in women’s health in the context of a largely male, patriarchal and misogynistic medical establishment. Nurses have been at the forefront of gynaecology and reproductive health services and in women’s health more generally to improve clinical care and outcomes in cardiac health, cancer and mental health. They have pioneered improvements in practice, carried out cutting-edge research and advanced education for nurses.
However much remains to be done. Gynaecology is an underfunded and low status service, women’s health hubs are poorly resourced and offer an inconsistent service and maternal health outcomes for BME women are significantly lower than those among white women. Health outcomes remain poor for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller, BME (Black & minority ethic) and marginalised women.
The panel will argue that this is because women’s health, including maternity, has been underfunded and stigmatised. It has been seen as dirty nursing. The women’s health strategy (2024) is an opportunity to address this historical underfunding and stigma but the jury is out on how effective this policy will be in addressing systemic problems in women’s health.
Speakers are RCN Fellows Debra Holloway MBE, Tendai Nzirawa and Wendy Norton. The event will be chaired by Cecilia Anim CBE.
This event was recorded in March 2025.
