Our Health, Our Voices: Women’s Experience of Healthcare in Ireland Listening Forum Report 2

Published: Monday, October 06, 2025

In Women’s Voices: Findings from the Forum for Women’s Experiences of Healthcare in Ireland presents insights from Workstream B of the Women’s Health Forum, a project led by the National Women’s Council (NWC) in partnership with the Department of Health to fulfil Action 1E of the Women’s Health Action Plan. The aim of this work was to hear directly from women about their healthcare experiences, with a focus on groups who are often underrepresented in policy discussions and face structural barriers to equitable access, experiences, and outcomes in healthcare. Building on the 2021 Women’s Health Taskforce “radical listening” exercises, this project comes at a time of major public investment in women’s health, including menopause clinics, ambulatory gynaecology services, state-funded IVF, and the Free Contraception Scheme. Through 73 listening sessions and interviews, and a Collective Event, the project engaged Traveller women, Roma women, migrant women, disabled women, LGBTQ+ communities, older women, women experiencing homelessness and addiction, and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). An intersectional and participatory methodology was used, guided by the AAAQ framework – Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, and Quality.

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