Caithness women's health campaign group proud of achievements in 2023
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Caithness women's healthcare campaigners say they are proud of their achievements this year and have promised there will be no let-up in 2024, insisting: "We have a right to safe local services."
North Highland Women’s Wellbeing Hub (NHWWH) will be represented at a United Nations event in the Scottish Parliament and will host a menopause awareness session in Wick, both in February, and will hold its second women's health festival in June.
NHWWH now has more than 800 members around the Highlands.
Chairperson Kirsteen Campbell said: "We are incredibly proud of how much we have managed to achieve this year, especially since we have experienced health challenges ourselves too."
She highlighted some of the achievements of NHWWH during 2023:
- Kirsteen and vice-chairperson Rebecca Wymer spoke about their endometriosis journeys to fifth-year medical students at Edinburgh University in February
- NHWWH held its first women's health festival at Lyth Arts Centre in March, and it was "a huge success"
- Kirsteen and Rebecca attended the World Congress for Endometriosis in May
- A round-table event was held in June challenging NHS Highland and the Scottish Government "to ensure that care moves in the right direction"
- NHWWH held its annual general meeting in August and added five new committee members
- The group was shortlisted for two national awards with Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland in September
- NHWWH was awarded £5000 in Community Regeneration Funding
- A funding award of £5700 came from the Stroupster Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund
- Kirsteen and Rebecca were guest speakers for the Young Women's Movement
- Kirsteen was a speaker at a UN round-table event on healthcare poverty in October
- Scottish Human Rights Commission representatives visited Caithness for two days in October to meet with community groups and discuss local issues
- A news report on Channel 4 looked at access to healthcare, following on from the Scottish Human Rights Commission's visit
- Rebecca was named in the Young Women's Movement Scottish "30 under 30" list
The group's petition is still with the petitions committee at the Scottish Parliament
Kirsteen, along with new committee members Aimee Millington and Claire Fraser, will be hosting a drop-in event this Saturday (December 16) in the Home-Start office in Wick.
"It's an opportunity for women out Christmas shopping to pop in for a cuppa, a cake and a chat about women's health," Kirsteen said. "We will have a good selection of leaflets with us and raffle tickets for our Christmas fundraiser."
Kirsteen is invited to the Scottish Parliament in February for a UN event, while a menopause awareness session will be held at Mackays Hotel on February 25. Booking details can be found on the NHWWH Facebook page.
"We will also continue to meet regularly with the NHS Highland gynaecology management team and Scotland's minister for public health and women's health, Jenni Minto," Kirsteen said.
"We will continue to push for change and work with the Scottish Human Rights Commission and Making Rights Real. We have a right to safe local services.
"We have four women's health support groups and they remain open. Christmas can be a challenging time and women put far too much pressure on themselves.
"We would remind everyone to slow down and look after yourself. Self-care is important."
She added: "Our group members are at the heart of everything we do – 2024 will be the year we get change."
