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Free Sanitary Products Will Be Offered To Hospital Patients By Summer

Free Sanitary Products Will Be Offered To Hospital Patients By Summer

By summer it is hoped that all women and girls being cared for by the health service will be able to get sanitary products free of charge

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

Free sanitary products will be offered to any hospital patient who needs them in a bid to prevent 'unnecessary embarrassment', allowing people to focus on their recovery.

Health leaders have announced that by summer all women and girls being cared for by the NHS will be able to ask for appropriate products.

According to the Metro, this announcement came after leading doctors wrote to NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens last month, demanding that hospitals provide inpatients with free sanitary towels and tampons.

On the back of this, Mr Stevens said it was 'absolutely right' for everyone to have access to the essentials of daily life while they're in hospital.

He told the Metro: "It's fundamental that we give patients the best experience possible during what can be a stressful time of their life, and by providing sanitary products the NHS can prevent unnecessary embarrassment and leave people to focus on their recovery."

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens.
PA

On the back of to what Mr Stevens said, Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, took to Twitter explaining: "The lack of sanitary products in hospitals has been an injustice - one that I am proud to say we are righting. From this summer, tampons and sanitary products will be offered to every hospital patient who needs them."

This will help reassure anyone needing urgent medical attention as well as patients who are being treated for a long period of time, such as those suffering with mental illnesses.

Dame Parveen Kumar, chairwoman of the British Medical Association's (BMA) Board of Science, welcomed the move and spoke about the cost of providing tampons and pads as being a 'relatively small' one.

Dame Parveen added: "We are pleased that our work, since then, with NHS England has culminated in such a successful result for women, bringing an end to indignity on top of ill-health.

"As well being an important influence in the shift that is necessary towards ending period poverty, this will be a relief for many patients who will no longer face the embarrassment and stress of not being able to freely and easily access sanitary pads and tampons."

The news was also welcomed by Freedom4Girls, a charity fighting against period poverty that support women and girls all around the world who struggle to access safe sanitary protection.

Founder of the charity, Tina Leslie, told the Metro: "This is a great initiative and is a fantastic step forward. NHS England have stepped up to the mark and been proactive in ensuring that hospital patients get tampons and sanitary towels."

Featured Image Credit: LADbible

Topics: News, UK, NHS