Health Equity North partners with Leigh Day and the Northern Health Science Alliance for Woman of the North Summit

The summit followed a stark report published last year which highlighted increasing disparities in wellbeing, safety, and pay for women in the north.  

Health Equity North is a virtual institute with a key focus on finding solutions to public health problems and inequalities. It promotes expertise from the Northern Health Alliance’s members.  

The Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) is a partnership between NHS trusts and universities in England. Their core aim to put together actionable insights in the north of England. 

Tackling violence against women and girls  

Leigh Day human rights partner Leanne Devine and Professor Nicole Westmarland (director of the Durham Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse) led a workshop on the changes needed to address the increasing incidences of domestic abuse and violence against women in the north. 

The Woman of the North report found that women in the north of England have the “highest rates of domestic violence abuse in the country”, with 19 women per 1,000 of the population experiencing domestic violence, whilst the average for the rest of England stands at 11. 

Leanne Devine said: 

“More needs to be done to protect women in the north. We need informed care and accessible resources with agencies working together so that women and their families can reach safety.  

“Without clear and actionable change, I am concerned that we will see these harrowing figures continue to rise” 

Women’s health and rights 

Head of the medical negligence department at Leigh Day, Suzanne White spoke about women’s autonomy in medical health, and what the law says about care, consent and rights.  

She hosted a workshop with Professor Louise Kenny, pro vice chancellor at the University of Liverpool and chair of the NHSA.  

Suzanne sought to demonstrate how the law can be used “to empower women in a medical setting”.

Suzanne White said:  

“Autonomy, or really lack thereof, is a recurrent theme that we see in maternity inquiries across the UK.  

“There seems to be a paternalistic view of pregnancy, and I am concerned that we are not seeing tangible change. Women need to be given enough information to give informed consent in childbirth. Allowing women to be more prepared and listened to in their care could save so much trauma.” 

Professor Louise Kenny added: 

“The quantum of risk has increased in pregnancy. Most women, particularly in their first pregnancy, are unaware of the risks of an operative vaginal delivery and emergency c-section. We need to do much more to educate women and to prepare them for birth. In addition, there are still significant disparities in birth outcomes across ethnic groups, with Black and Asian women experiencing worse outcomes compared to White women. These disparities are also linked to socioeconomic status, with women in more deprived areas having worse outcomes. Much more needs to be done to address these unacceptable differences.” 

Workplace and women’s rights 

Leading employment and discrimination lawyers Lauren Lougheed and Linda Wong led a workshop on workplace and women’s rights.  

Leigh Day is the only firm that represents store workers across all five major supermarkets in the UK in equal pay claims. 

Joining Lauren and Linda at the employment law workshop was Kate Elliot, one of the lead claimants in the Sainsbury’s equal pay claim. 

She explained how she had been affected by unequal pay as a single mother.  

Kate said:  

"I was left to provide all of the timekeeping, nurturing and support for my child. 

There wasn't a framework where they recognised the childcare responsibilities that their workers may have. 

"There are a lot of obstacles to career progression - for me it was just a means to survive. My child was my priority.” 

Laura and Linda furthered Kate’s experience, commenting on the impacts of rigid workplace policies on childcare or the failure to make reasonable adjustments to support workers with chronic illnesses or disabilities. 

Employment partner Linda Wong said: 

“Some workers are aware of what their rights are but are afraid of potentially facing repercussions that may affect their job security. Others may genuinely not realise the workplace rights and protections available to them.  

“Pay inequality also remains an issue due to many interlinking factors, such as the imbalance of women taking on more unpaid childcare or caring responsibilities than men, and persistent biases that affect how work predominantly undertaken by women is valued.” 

Employment partner Lauren Lougheed said:  

“The Flexible Working Act is a positive step which improves the right to request flexible working, but arguably it doesn't go far enough.  

“Employers should be encouraged to allow flexibility around working practices and caring needs and be transparent about their policies and the availability of different working options.”

At the summit, northern Mayors Kim Mcguinness and Tracy Brabin backed the launch of the Woman of the North Charter, which calls on Mayors to create fairer opportunities for women across education, work, welfare and health.