Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland launches Women’s Health Plan to tackle inequalities in long-term conditions for women 

Women in Scotland are suffering avoidable deaths because of barriers to accessing healthcare for chest, heart, stroke and other long-term conditions.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) has launched a three-year Women’s Health Plan setting out clear actions to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support for women across Scotland. 

To read CHSS’s Women’s Health Plan please click here.

Figures show that Women in Scotland are 50% more likely than men to receive an initial misdiagnosis after a heart attack, and across the UK, women are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed with heart failure, many waiting an average of 20 weeks for a diagnosis compared with just 3.6 weeks for men. 

Additionally, there are more than 4,600 incidences of stroke in women in Scotland every year, with over 1,200 dying as a result. Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are also more common in women, who are also nearly twice as likely to die from asthma than men. 

The disparities run right through the system, with women less likely to be offered diagnostic testing within 72 hours of a heart attack and less likely to be prescribed medication that reduces the risk of a second one. 

Moreover, conditions that predominately affect women, such as Long Covid and heart conditions like coronary microvascular dysfunction, continue to be under-researched and under-diagnosed. While four in five women say they are not listened to by healthcare professionals. 

The consequences are stark: UK female life expectancy has fallen from 20th to 26th place out of 38 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries in recent years. 

CHSS says its new three-year Women’s Health Plan 2026–2029 sets out seven commitments:  

• Developing clear, women-specific health information. 

• Raising the visibility of women’s health through targeted campaigns and storytelling. 

• Launching a dedicated prevention and early detection programme through CHSS’s Health Defence and Community Healthcare Support Service. 

• Strengthening training on women’s health for healthcare professionals, CHSS colleagues and volunteers. 

• Expanding peer support and post-diagnosis care for women. 

• Campaigning for better policy, funding and women’s inclusion in research. 

• Driving continuous improvement of CHSS women’s health work shaped by lived experience.

CHSS is not only highlighting the inequalities women face, but will lead action to address them through prevention programmes, professional education, policy influence and improved support for women across Scotland. 

The plan builds on CHSS’s original 2021 women’s health work and the charity’s wider ‘No Life Half Lived’ strategy. It also aligns with the Scottish Government’s own Women’s Health Plan Phases One and Two. It has been shaped by more than 140 responses to a national survey, alongside consultation with health and social care professionals and people with lived experience through CHSS’s Voices of Experience Panel.

Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “Women have been telling us for years that their symptoms aren’t being taken seriously, and the evidence backs them up.

“When we talk about women’s health, we need to look beyond reproductive and maternal health alone. Women experience inequalities across a wide range of conditions, including chest, heart, stroke and Long Covid conditions, and they deserve equitable access to the information, support and care they need. 

“By improving awareness, supporting earlier detection and diagnosis, and ensuring women are heard when they seek help, we can begin to address inequalities that have persisted for far too long. 

“Our first plan, launched in 2021, established important foundations. This next phase builds on that progress and reflects our commitment to a Scotland, where nobody is left behind because of their sex or gender.

“At Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, our No Life Half Lived mission means working towards a future where everyone can live well with their condition. By bringing together women with lived experience, health professionals, policymakers and partners, we can create lasting change and help build a fairer, healthier Scotland for women.” 

Among those supporting the plan is Angela Bradley, 56, from Dalkeith, who has survived two strokes, and multiple aneurysms while caring for her grandson.

She said: “I kind of struggled through and put my own health on the back burner. You must look after yourself so you can look after your family too. I never used to ask for help, but I’ve learned too. It’s so important.”

Sylvia Adams, 60, from Aberdeenshire, volunteers in CHSS’s Women’s Health Steering Group, helping shape the charity’s plan. 

She said: “I didn’t really realise how disadvantaged women were when it came to health, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. You just make the assumption you’ll be treated the same as anyone else when you ask for help or advice, which is clearly not the case. The statistics prove it.

“If you as a mother, wife or sister aren’t able to look after yourself, it doesn’t serve anybody. Self-care isn’t selfish.”

Professor Anna Glasier OBE and Women’s Health Champion for the Scottish Government added: “As Women’s Health Champion for Scotland, I whole-heartedly welcome the publication of CHSS’s Women’s Health Plan 2026-2029. 

“The Plan sets out clearly the burden of cardiovascular and respiratory disease among women in Scotland It goes on to highlight the stark reality of the gender inequity – which characterises so much of women’s health – listing the many contributory societal factors. With the emphasis on the actions necessary to achieve a ‘Brighter, Healthier Future for Women in Scotland’, CHSS lists its aims for the next three years.

“The most eye-catching is the aim to develop a women-specific prevention and early detection programme as well as continuing to provide support for women diagnosed with cardiovascular or respiratory disease. Equally important is the commitment to improving information and awareness for women, and supporting education and training for healthcare professionals, ambitions which align closely with the aims of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan Phase 2.

“CHSS are good at what they do, and I have no doubt that their work will genuinely lead to a brighter, better future for women in Scotland.” 

CHSS is encouraging people across Scotland to support the movement for better women’s health by reading and sharing the CHSS Women’s Health Plan, starting conversations about women’s health, and raising awareness of signs and symptoms of chest, heart, stroke, and Long Covid conditions in women.

The charity will work alongside women, healthcare professionals, community partners and policymakers to deliver the plan’s ambitions and ensure women’s health continues to be a national priority.