Global workwear manufacturer, Alsico, and leading representative body for care providers, Care England, brought together carers from providers across the UK, industry experts, and menopause campaigner, Diane Danzebrink, for the Menopause Matters event in Birmingham.
Delivered alongside the Care Show at the NEC in October 2024, the event took place to educate and empower carers.
The Menopause Matters 2024 event marks the start of an ongoing campaign for change from Alsico and Care England
Throughout the day, carers working in the sector today were provided with knowledge and resources to support themselves and their colleagues, but also to gather experiences from those who are currently or have already experienced the menopause.
Sessions throughout the day included:
- A panel discussion hosted by Angela Boxall, Care England’s chairwoman with Diane Danzebrink, founder of Menopause Support, covered symptoms and impacts of the menopause; Naiomi Beaumont Swindlehurst, raw materials and R&D expert at Alsico, spoke about the importance of menopause considerations in workwear selection; and Caren Burton, chief people officer at care provider Majesticare, discussed how the menopause directly affects carers and what the minimum standard of support needs to be.
- Naiomi Beaumont Swindlehurst delivered a session discussing the technical elements of the fabric used in care worker uniforms. Uniform samples were shared around the room for carers and experts to get hands-on with, discuss the qualities, share their opinions about their current uniforms, and learn what fabrics and technologies are the most compatible for the entire carer workforce.
- Diane Danzebrink, who founded the #MakeMenopauseMatter campaign, led a workshop with attendees answering questions and discussing resources that can help people experiencing the menopause, including approaches and best practices for employers, as well as support and resources for employees. She closed the event with a keynote speech at the Care Show on understanding and supporting those experiencing the menopause.
- A focus group for attendees to share their experiences of menopause, the impact it has had on them in the workplace and what difference better support could have.
The need for such efforts was highlighted in the 2023 Adult Social Care Menopause Guidance for Managers and Staff, reporting that one in five women say their menopause symptoms have a detrimental effect on their work, and one in ten have considered leaving their job.
Carers at the event shared lived or heard experiences of menopause, with examples of requests for support being ignored amongst management and in extreme cases, being left to work in clothing following excessive bleeding due to a lack of suitable facilities.
The Menopause Matters 2024 event marks the start of an ongoing campaign for change from Alsico and Care England, who will be sharing insights from the day and delivering dedicated support and resources to the care sector.
Delivered alongside the Care Show at the NEC in October 2024, the event took place to educate and empower carers
Alsico Lead on the campaign, Naiomi Beaumont Swindlehurst, said: "Reactions throughout the event demonstrated how sorely-needed it was - we even had to find space for extra attendees to take part in the conversation.
"The overwhelming message from all of the sessions is how much there is to do on education and resource access, both for those who are/will experience the menopause, and those supporting them.
"When talking about uniforms, we want to get across that its not about singling women out with a ‘menopause uniform’, quite the opposite! It’s about making menopause a key consideration in the decisions that impact the care sector workforce."
Care England Chairwoman, Angela Boxall, said: "81% of our workforce are women, and as we know from the statistics, menopause has a significant impact on an individual’s experience at work. We know there are many priorities to balance in the sector, however, it is abundantly clear that menopause must be within those for the decision makers – because overlooking it can have detrimental consequences for the vast majority of our workforce."