📋 Tender Overview
Recommendations are to be taken forward by the Department of Health and Social Care to help ensure continued HRT supply meets demandForms part of wider work to support menopausal women access the health and care they need and tackle the gender health gapAction will be taken to make supplies of HRT more resilient as Head of the HRT Taskforce Madelaine McTernan presents her key recommendations to support future management of the supply chain.The recommendations will inform the work of the department and the UK-wide menopause taskforce as Ms McTernan has returned to working full time as the Director General of the Vaccine Taskforce as preparation for the autumn booster campaign ramps up.Improving access to HRT forms part of the governments wider commitment to tackle the gender health gap including support for menopausal women. The Womens Health Strategy published earlier this year includes the menopause as a key area.Access to HRT has improved following decisive actions to increase supply and manage demand including issuing serious shortage protocols SSPs on HRT products to limit dispensing to 3 months supply and allow specified alternative products to be supplied if necessary.Following positive engagement across the supply chain suppliers have also moved to secure additional stock and expedite deliveries of HRT products experiencing supply issues. Suppliers are building future capacity to support continued growth in demand.These combined actions have resulted in improvement in supply of products including Oestrogel gel. The number of packs of Oestrogel delivered to the UK in July was double the monthly average for the first quarter this year demonstrating a very substantial increase.Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay saidWomens health is a priority for this government and we are ensuring everyone who needs HRT is able to access it.Madelaines work and that of her taskforce and the department has been vital and her recommendations will ensure progress in HRT supply continues.Core recommendations from the HRT taskforce includecontinued dialogue with industry both via continuing the successful model of regular industry roundtables as well as individual engagementcontinued use of SSPs when appropriate to manage shortages as steps are taken by suppliers to increase productioncontinued assessment whether NHS formularies may be impacting access to HRTTaking steps to action these recommendations 12 of the 13 SSPs in place for HRT have been extended to help provide ongoing stability as HRT products that have experienced supply issues increase stock levels. The department has also established quarterly industry roundtables with key suppliers to ensure continued dialogue and help industry to plan for the future.Outgoing Head of the HRT Taskforce Madelaine McTernan saidI am pleased to see the situation with HRT supply is improving across the country. I want to thank suppliers and manufacturers for their engagement and positive action to tackle this serious issue.I have presented my key learnings on how the department can continue to manage HRT supply and work with the industry as it continues efforts to meet rising demand.
