Community outreach improving women’s and girls’ health in Lambeth

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Women and girls across Lambeth are benefiting from a series of outreach initiatives designed to give them the support and information needed to manage their health confidently. The project is part of NHS South East London Women’s and Girls’ Health Programme and focuses on four key areas: heavy menstrual bleeding, contraception, pre-conception and menopause.

Women’s health advice at the Lambeth Together Health and Wellbeing Bus

Health champions have been at the heart of the effort, engaging residents on women’s health through the Lambeth Together Health and Wellbeing Bus. The team received bespoke training from clinician specialists to support their understanding of women’s health topics. They also used factsheets and simple prompts to make discussions easier, and these were embedded into Vital 5 health checks.

So far, they’ve had almost 500 conversations with women and girls across the borough, which also involved attending eight dedicated women’s health events. Topics ranged from menopause (45%), contraception (18%), general women’s health topics (17%), heavy menstrual bleeding (14%) and pre-pregnancy health (4%).

 

Three women standing under a gazebo on a busy street, holding a leaflet about women's health information.

Community education sessions

Hills, Brook and Dale Primary Care Network organised four education sessions, covering a range of women’s and girls’ health topics. The first two sessions were well attended by residents who praised the discussions and learnt useful information about perimenopause, menopause and heavy menstrual bleeding. Upcoming sessions are planned for December and March which will focus on contraception and sexual health and pre-pregnancy health

Supporting local organisations

Ten voluntary and community sector organisations have each been awarded up to £5,000 to develop projects that:

  • raise awareness and understanding of women’s and girls’ health issues across Lambeth
  • build trust and help residents get care that’s culturally sensitive
  • empower local people to shape healthcare services
  • support staff and volunteers to better respond to women’s health needs

The projects that have been awarded funding are:

  • Black Prince Trust: Hosting online workshops on key health topics and in-person events, aimed at Muslim women and teenage girls.
  • Beth Centre: Running conversation cafés for women involved in the criminal justice system and sharing health information at local food banks.
  • Sister2Sister: Expanding menopause support by adding in-person workshops with creative activities, focusing on Black women.
  • Girls United: Incorporating menstrual health education into football training for girls aged 8–16 to reduce stigma and build confidence.
  • Milk Honey Bees: Training health champions and delivering health education for Black girls aged 13–18, combining art, peer support, and reproductive health learning.
  • Carers4Carers: Providing tailored wellbeing sessions at a gym for unpaid carers aged 40–65.
  • Molly Huggins Trust: Designing resident-led wellbeing sessions covering mental health, reproductive health, and self-care for women from diverse backgrounds.
  • Lambeth Hospital: Introducing menstrual and menopause health screening in psychiatric inpatient care and training staff as women’s health ambassadors.
  • Baytree Centre: Offering sessions for diverse women, embedding menopause education within ESOL and community learning programmes.
  • High Trees: Running workshops for young women and adults on various women’s health topics.

Each organisation will report back on the impact of their project early next year.

Find out more

More information about managing a range of women’s and girls’ health conditions and where to find local services is available on South EAst London ICS website.

Visit the health and wellbeing bus

To visit the Lambeth Together Health and Wellbeing bus, view the upcoming timetable: Lambeth Together Health and Wellbeing Bus.

 

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