BACKGROUND:
It is recognised globally that a strategic approach to women’s health is needed to address gender-related inequalities in health and health care provision. In Northern Ireland (NI) there is currently no Maternity Strategy nor Women’s Health Strategy. A listening exercise was needed to understand women’s experiences and expectations[FL1] of health services to inform strategic priorities.

OBJECTIVES:
To explore women’s perspectives on accessing information and services, along with their priorities for maternity care and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.

METHODS:
The study used mixed-methods design consisting of a survey promoted nationwide and focus groups. Women aged over 16 years, normally resident and accessing services in NI were eligible to participate. This abstract reports on the survey with data analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.

RESULTS:
Responses were from 2334 women across NI; 68% were educated to degree level and were mostly aged 30 to 59 years (72%). Women reported accessing services for sexual health, perinatal health, perinatal mental health, pregnancy and baby loss, contraception and abortion in the previous 5 years. Topics that were most frequently reported as uncomfortable for women to discuss with health professionals included sexual health (31%), abortion (35%), perinatal mental health (17%), pregnancy and baby loss (18%) and pelvic floor health (24%). On experiences of accessing health information and services, women reported feeling dismissed, not being listened to, unable to find reliable and accurate information, feeling embarrassment, fear, shame, and anxiety. Women reported the need for local wellness clinics for easier access to health information and services.

CONCLUSIONS:
Women in NI experience significant deficits in relation to their health care needs across the perinatal period and relative to SRH.

KEY MESSAGE:
Urgent prioritisation, investment and strategic direction in NI is needed to improve access and reduce inequalities in women’s health across the perinatal period and in relation to SRH. Poster session 4 (Group B)