A GP practice in Bury is calling on the government to extend menopause support across all age groups, after helping hundreds of women describe their symptoms as “brutal”, “life-changing”, and even “marriage-destroying”.
A GP practice in Bury has urged the government to embed menopause care into the NHS for women of all ages, not just those eligible for health checks, following harrowing stories from patients who say they have suffered in silence for years.
Ribblesdale Medical Practice welcomed the government’s recent decision to include menopause-related questions in NHS health checks for people aged 40 to 74, calling it a “huge leap forward”. But staff say it doesn’t go far enough.
“More help is needed for all menopausal women, regardless of age,” said nurse consultant Karen Swift, who co-founded the practice’s menopause service in 2023 with care coordinator Jayne Chapman. “This is a serious condition that can be totally life-changing.”
The two clinicians set up a one-stop menopause support hub after experiencing their own struggles. Both began showing symptoms in their 30s and spent years battling exhaustion, anxiety, heart palpitations and night sweats before getting appropriate treatment.
They now lead a structured in-practice service offering one-to-one consultations, symptom questionnaires, personalised HRT reviews and group Q&A sessions. The initiative has supported “hundreds and hundreds” of women since its launch.
Chapman, the practice’s ‘menopause champion’, said the move to add menopause questions to NHS checks was a welcome step, but stressed that it still excludes millions of women under 40 or not yet eligible.
“This should be just the starting point,” she said. “We need accessible, embedded NHS support for all women, not just those flagged at health checks every five years.”
Patient Amy Melbourne, who accessed the service after raising concerns at a routine smear test, described it as “life-changing”.
“Menopause symptoms made me a different person. I had panic attacks, brain fog, and I couldn’t sleep. But for the first time, someone really listened to me,” she said. “If only every woman could access a GP menopause champion.”
The government estimates around five million women will benefit from the expanded NHS health checks. But campaigners like Swift and Chapman say symptoms often start years before eligibility, particularly during perimenopause, which can begin as early as the mid-30s.
Practice manager Lynsey Philbin added: “Menopausal women have been suffering in silence for too long. Our service shows that early, structured intervention makes a huge difference to women's physical and mental health.”
The team is now working to share its model across other GP surgeries in Greater Manchester, with hopes of influencing regional and national menopause care policy.
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