Trust aims to end stigma of periods with pilot scheme
A pilot scheme to provide free, quality, sustainable period products for service users and staff is being launched by Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT).
The trust has partnered with social enterprise Hey Girls to run the initial six-month project at Hellesdon Hospital in wards, the mother and baby unit, the food bank at the hospital library and in some staff toilets.
Part of the aim of the project is breaking down the stigma and taboo surrounding menstruation by providing quality period education for everyone.
Hey Girls will be sharing educational resources and providing information and training sessions covering their story, period products on the market, environmental facts, understanding your cycle, period related problems, period equality, periods in the workplace and why periods are everyone’s responsibility.
Project manager Hayley Biscoe said: “Working long shifts can make it difficult for trust staff to access period products when they need them. Having these available as and when needed, shows a level of care to ensure that all those that menstruate can experience a dignified period and not be discriminated on based on socio-economic status, gender and accessibility to products.”
She said that service users may find themselves in hospital unexpectedly, without any access to period products and for various cultural, personal, or mental health state do not make it known they are menstruating.
“Providing these products are a necessity for period dignity and to ensure women are not discriminated against based on their physiology, in addition to tackling health inequalities where people who menstruate may struggle to afford basic menstrual supplies,” she said.
The Trust is currently working towards becoming recognised as menstruation friendly organisation.
Women’s network co-chair Amy Webb, who has also been driving the project, said: “This is all about recognising the importance of creating an open and healthy workplace culture where people can talk about symptoms, get the support they need, and have access to the appropriate products when they need them."
Chief finance officer at NSFT Jason Hollidge supported the development of the pilot after attending the conference.
He said: “The women’s network conference was a springboard for some really important work we have carried out in the trust to improve the lives of a huge percentage of our workforce. Becoming menstruation friendly and this pilot to provide period products is just one of the ways we are aiming to make NSFT a safer, kinder and better place to work.”
The idea for the pilot came after Diss-based Hey Girls presented at NSFT’s women’s staff network conference in 2023. A project group was set up and a proposal submitted to the trust’s executive directors, with money to pay for the pilot coming from charitable funds.
The pilot will include staff and service user feedback with the aim of rolling it out across the trust. Until that happens, the women’s network will be supporting other sites by providing starter boxes of period products for staff to manage with the message “take what you need, donate what you can”.
Hey Girls co-founder Kate Smith said: “Partnering with NSFT is a crucial step in tackling period poverty and ending the stigma around menstruation. By ensuring free and sustainable period products are accessible to both staff and service users, we’re promoting dignity, equality, and open conversations about menstrual health in healthcare settings.”
Hey Girls sales and partnerships manager Georgie Nicholson added: “This partnership with NSFT is about more than just period products, it’s about dignity, inclusion, and breaking stigma. We’re proud of the conversations sparked along the way and hope to expand this initiative across more NHS trusts in the future."