Report: South Asian women's health
- Healthwatch Wokingham
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
At Healthwatch, we want to make sure every voice in our community is heard, especially those who are often underrepresented. We gathered feedback from 115 women from the South Asian community across the borough to learn more about their experiences with healthcare services.
We chose to focus on South Asian women because they face some of the most significant health inequalities in the borough:
Low screening rates: Cervical screening uptake among Pakistani and Bangladeshi women is as low as 40%, far below the national target of 80%
Higher rates of long-term health conditions: South Asian communities are 2–4 times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and have a 40% higher mortality rate from coronary heart disease.
Gendered and cultural barriers: Women face challenges such as limited culturally appropriate information, stigma, language barriers, and lower confidence navigating the NHS.
Our report aims to highlight the health inequalities and underrepresentation faced by South Asian women across Wokingham Borough, and to provide recommendations on how local health services can better meet the needs of this community. Some of our findings are listed below:
Most women reported a positive experience during their last GP or hospital appointment, but some wanted better communication and more involvement in decisions. 18% felt they were not involved enough in treatment decisions and 13% felt the practitioner did not take enough time to listen to their concerns.
“I want to be spoken to in an unpatronising manner. It’s my body and I would like to be heard and understood.”
Half of respondents (50%) reported having one or more of the listed diagnosed long-term conditions, which require ongoing access to healthcare and treatment.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) wanted the option to request a female practitioner in healthcare settings.
“A major issue women of colour face, in my view, is they would prefer a female doctor or nurse.”
89% wanted a wider choice of appointment times, such as late evenings/weekends to fit around other commitments and responsibilities.
"It’s very hard to access healthcare when you work fulltime 9-5. When I call my GP, they only ever seem to be able to offer one slot and get frustrated when I don’taccept it. My work is unfortunately not flexible."
Click below to read the full report
We have sent this report to Buckinghamshire, Oxfordhire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), Public Health Wokingham Borough and the Primary Care Network for response.
We will update this report and webpage when we receive responses.
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