The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on 31 March 2026 recommending fezolinetant as an option for treating moderate to severe menopause-related hot flushes and night sweats when hormone replacement therapy is unsuitable. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance. This means integrated care boards (ICBs) are now required to fund fezolinetant in line with NICE’s recommendation. It remains for clinicians to decide whether it is the right treatment for an individual patient.

The Department has not assessed whether access to fezolinetant varies between the regions of England. It has also not had discussions with NHS England about access to fezolinetant in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB.

NHS England has not issued separate national guidance to ICBs on prescribing fezolinetant.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on 31 March 2026 recommending fezolinetant as an option for treating moderate to severe menopause-related hot flushes and night sweats when hormone replacement therapy is unsuitable. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance. This means integrated care boards (ICBs) are now required to fund fezolinetant in line with NICE’s recommendation. It remains for clinicians to decide whether it is the right treatment for an individual patient.

The Department has not assessed whether access to fezolinetant varies between the regions of England. It has also not had discussions with NHS England about access to fezolinetant in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB.

NHS England has not issued separate national guidance to ICBs on prescribing fezolinetant.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on 31 March 2026 recommending fezolinetant as an option for treating moderate to severe menopause-related hot flushes and night sweats when hormone replacement therapy is unsuitable. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance. This means integrated care boards (ICBs) are now required to fund fezolinetant in line with NICE’s recommendation. It remains for clinicians to decide whether it is the right treatment for an individual patient.

The Department has not assessed whether access to fezolinetant varies between the regions of England. It has also not had discussions with NHS England about access to fezolinetant in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB.

NHS England has not issued separate national guidance to ICBs on prescribing fezolinetant.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on 31 March 2026 recommending fezolinetant as an option for treating moderate to severe menopause-related hot flushes and night sweats when hormone replacement therapy is unsuitable. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, usually within three months of final guidance. This means integrated care boards (ICBs) are now required to fund fezolinetant in line with NICE’s recommendation. It remains for clinicians to decide whether it is the right treatment for an individual patient.

The Department has not assessed whether access to fezolinetant varies between the regions of England. It has also not had discussions with NHS England about access to fezolinetant in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB.

NHS England has not issued separate national guidance to ICBs on prescribing fezolinetant.

The Civil Service is committed to being an inclusive employer. The adoption for British Standard BS 30416, is delegated to departments as individual employers.

The Department does not hold data on National Health Service staff long-term sickness absence due to menopause.

While menopause may be recorded locally as a contributing factor to an absence episode, the information is not collected in a way that enables the production of reliable national figures for long-term sickness absence attributable to menopause.

No specific formal assessment has been made. Advice and Guidance is designed to support quicker, clearer clinical decision making, by enabling general practitioners (GPs) and specialists to discuss and agree the most appropriate next steps for a patient, including those with menopause related conditions.

Where the outcome of advice is for care management in the community, we expect patients to be seen more quickly, closer to home, benefiting from earlier specialist input. In these cases, the GP may still subsequently refer their patient at any point if they have concerns.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting National Health Service staff experiencing menstruation, menstrual health conditions, and menopausal symptoms.

Many principles in British Standard 30416 are already reflected in NHS England guidance, learning resources, and support, which are kept under review in light of emerging evidence, stakeholder feedback, and good practice.

NHS England has signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge, reflecting its commitment to support employees experiencing menopause.

NHS England does not publish official statistics on sickness absence due specifically to menopause because menopause is not recorded as a primary sickness absence reason within the national Electronic Staff Record (ESR) sickness absence statistics.

The ESR does, however, allow menopause to be recorded as a related reason for a sickness absence episode. For March 2026, National Health Service organisations in England recorded 1,764 full-time equivalent days lost where menopause was recorded as a related reason for sickness absence.

The figures should be interpreted with caution, as the menopause-related reason field is recorded locally and is not subject to the same level of validation as the data used in NHS England's official published sickness absence statistics.

Recording depends on local reporting practices, completion of the related reason field and staff disclosure, and is therefore likely to understate the true level of menopause-related sickness absence.

As part of the Employment Rights Act 2025, the Government committed to supporting women experiencing menopause in the workplace by encouraging employers with 250 or more employees to produce an action plan covering the steps they are taking to support employees experiencing menopause.

These plans are currently voluntary, and officials will work closely with businesses to monitor and review whether these are the right actions and ensure that they continue to reflect emerging evidence on approaches that are effective. Subject to the delivery of secondary legislation, action plans will become mandatory in 2027.

As part of the plan to Make Work Pay, the Government also committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence. This is available on the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) website.

On 1 April 2026, Mariella Frostrup was appointed as the Government’s Women’s Employment Ambassador, building on her work over the past 18 months as Menopause Employment Ambassador, where she raised awareness and strengthened employer understanding of menopause in the workplace.  In this expanded role, the Ambassador will champion women’s employment throughout the life course, work with employers across the country to strengthen workplace support, raise awareness of key health issues and wider challenges affecting women in work, ensuring menopause remains a key priority, and highlight the vital economic contribution of women.

Fezolinetant is a non-hormonal medicine used to treat moderate to severe hot flushes and night sweats linked to menopause. It may be used where hormone replacement therapy is not suitable.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on 31 March 2026 recommending fezolinetant as an option for treating these symptoms when hormone replacement therapy is unsuitable. NICE is the independent body that assesses whether medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on clinical and cost effectiveness. Once NICE recommends a medicine, the NHS in England is normally legally required to fund it within three months of the final guidance. Integrated care boards are therefore expected to make fezolinetant available in line with NICE’s recommendation. Decisions about whether it is right for an individual patient remain for clinicians to make with their patients.

Fezolinetant is a non-hormonal medicine used to treat moderate to severe hot flushes and night sweats linked to menopause. It may be used where hormone replacement therapy is not suitable.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance on 31 March 2026 recommending fezolinetant as an option for treating these symptoms when hormone replacement therapy is unsuitable. NICE is the independent body that assesses whether medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on clinical and cost effectiveness. Once NICE recommends a medicine, the NHS in England is normally legally required to fund it within three months of the final guidance. Integrated care boards are therefore expected to make fezolinetant available in line with NICE’s recommendation. Decisions about whether it is right for an individual patient remain for clinicians to make with their patients.

Menopause can have a significant impact on a woman’s mental health, and low mood and anxiety are recognised symptoms that some women may experience during the perimenopause and menopause.

The Department recognises the importance of ensuring that women experiencing menopause can access appropriate healthcare and mental health support. Any woman concerned about her mental health should seek advice from her general practitioner or another healthcare professional. Women can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies services, which provide support for common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority and recognises its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, and quality of life. The strategy will improve access to menopause care through neighbourhood women’s health services, women’s health hubs, and specialist regional centres, while improving information and awareness so women can access evidence-based support and treatment.

As announced in October, local authorities will be asked to include menopause in the NHS Health Check from 2026, supporting eligible women to access high-quality information about menopause symptoms, their management, and where to seek support.

The Government recognises the impact menopause can have on women’s lives.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority, recognising its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, work, and quality of life. The strategy shifts menopause care into primary and community settings, including neighbourhood women’s health services and women’s health hubs, making care easier to access and closer to home.

Each region will have a specialist centre to support group-based clinics in women’s health, including menopause services, improving access, peer support, and consistency, with early rollout focused on areas of highest need. The strategy also commits to improving information and awareness so that women know their symptoms can be effectively managed, including through evidence-based treatments.

Menopause can have a significant impact on a woman’s mental health, with low mood and anxiety among the possible symptoms. It is important that all women experiencing perimenopause, menopause, or symptoms associated with menopause treatment can access high-quality healthcare support.

Any woman concerned about her mental health should seek advice from her general practitioner or another healthcare professional. Women can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies services, which help people experiencing common mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression.

The Government recognises the ongoing need to ensure healthcare practitioners have sufficient knowledge of women’s health, including menopause, to provide the best possible care.

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

Menopause is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners’ curriculum for trainee GPs, including gynaecology, sexual health, and breast health. The curriculum also covers women’s healthcare needs across all diseases seen in primary care, ensuring future GPs treat women holistically.

The General Medical Council (GMC) introduced a new Medical Licensing Assessment for all medical graduates from the academic year 2024/25 with an updated version being introduced for September 2026. This includes topics relating to women’s health, such as menopause and perimenopause.

All United Kingdom registered doctors are subject to revalidation requirements, overseen by the GMC, with the process led by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Continuing professional development is essential for demonstrating fitness to practise safely.

NHS England is developing a Multi-professional Capabilities Framework with Skills for Health, to develop tiered trainings and competencies for health care professionals to ensure continued professional development across the workforce.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published in April 2026, committed to redesigning clinical pathways, including for menopause.

These redesigned pathways will create roadmaps for health systems to use and adapt for local needs that will enable women to move more quickly through the system and reach the level of care they need with fewer appointments.

Integrated care boards will monitor and report on progress through improvement plans submitted to the NHS England Women’s Health National Programme Board.

The renewed Women’s Health Strategy also shifts women’s health care, including menopause, away from hospital-only care towards primary and community settings, such as neighbourhood women’s health services and women’s health hubs, making care easier to access and closer to home. Neighbourhood women’s health services will liaise with secondary care services to ensure that people who require specialist care have access to it, including those who are experiencing treatment-induced menopause.

Additionally, each region will have a specialist centre to support group-based clinics in women's health such as menopause services, improving access, peer support, and consistency, with early rollout focused on areas of highest need.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, published in April 2026, committed to redesigning clinical pathways for heavy menstrual bleeding, urogynaecology and menopause.

These redesigned pathways will create roadmaps for health systems to use and adapt for local needs that will enable women to move more quickly through the system and reach the level of care they need with fewer appointments.

They will also help systems to transform services, plan their workforce and consider where capacity is most usefully deployed so that hospitals can provide the specialist care they are designed to, and move more care where appropriate into the community.

The redesigned pathways will be published in the summer.

Progress will reported and monitored by the local integrated care boards by way of Improvement Plans to NHS England Women’s Health National Programme Board.

The government is committed to tackling the challenges women face in the labour market at every stage of life, and with the right menopause workplace support, we can help unlock the full talent and creativity of women across the country.

As part of the Employment Rights Act 2025, the government committed to supporting women experiencing menopause in the workplace by encouraging employers with 250 or more employees to produce an action plan, from April 2026, covering the steps they are taking to support employees experiencing the menopause.

As part of the plan to Make Work Pay, the government also committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence. This is available on the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) website.

On 1 April 2026, Mariella Frostrup was appointed as the government’s Women’s Employment Ambassador, building on her work over the past 18 months as Menopause Employment Ambassador, where she raised awareness and strengthened employer understanding of menopause in the workplace.

In this expanded role, she is championing women’s health across the life course, ensuring menopause remains a key priority, and working with employers to improve workplace support, raise awareness of key health issues and highlight women’s economic contribution.

Introducing action plans on a voluntary basis is an initial step to provide employers with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the process before they become mandatory in 2027.

Officials will be monitoring the implementation during the voluntary year and ensuring insights are reflected in the guidance and process for employers, as well as the draft regulations. We will work closely with businesses to monitor and review whether these are the right actions and ensure that they continue to reflect emerging evidence on actions that are effective.