A fresh Scottish Government pledge that ‘innovation will have a pivotal role in ensuring women and girls have access to the best quality care’ has been backed by a health innovation specialist

The Women's Health Plan: Phase Two (2026 - 2029) was published this week and sets out new actions aimed at addressing health inequalities still being experienced across Scotland.

According to the government, those actions “advance our ambition that all women and girls in Scotland enjoy the best possible health throughout their lives”.

In doing so, it said it recognises that “the transformative potential of innovation is undeniable” and must be harnessed.

Innovation specialist InnoScot Health supports this stance and believes that effective change in addressing persistent health inequalities will only be possible with the help of forward-thinking FemTech.

The organisation’s Head of Innovation Commercialisation, Gillian Henderson said: “The Scottish Government is absolutely correct to highlight this need in addressing inequalities.

“Hand in hand with heightened awareness and more open discourse, FemTech developed and supported thanks to the right collaboration is vital to providing tailored solutions, challenging stigmas, and giving women back more control.

“Indeed, multidisciplinary innovation produced through the ‘triple helix’ of NHS, industry, and academia can help to not only bridge Scotland’s gender health gap but also develop technology-driven products and services which specifically address women's health and wellbeing needs.

She added: “Through the second phase of the Women’s Health Plan, we now have an opportunity to go further by tackling gender-specific health needs, from early cancer detection to sustainable menstrual products such as the Glasgow-based Bettii Pod which received £400,000 in investment and funding in 2024.

“There is also Lumino’s Seren — a digital therapeutic developed in partnership with the West of Scotland Innovation Hub and CivTech — which uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help manage menopause symptoms.”

The Women’s Health Plan states that among Scottish Government priorities is a requirement “to support the testing, adopting and scaling of innovations to support women and girls”.

It adds: “We will explore the innovation opportunities, working with our three NHS Scotland Innovation Hubs and partners across Scotland.

“We will seek to work collaboratively with partners across the UK, academia, industry and the third sector to identify opportunities to transform the care women and girls receive.”

As part of that innovation drive, three key areas of focus have been identified:

• Menopause care and support
• Gynaecological care and support
• Data to enable effective design and development of innovation

The Scottish Government further wants to develop, publish, and implement an ‘Action Plan for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer’.

It notes that mathematical modelling “shows possible elimination of cervical cancer in Scotland by 2040,” requiring reaching equitable vaccine uptake of 90%; equitable screening coverage of 90%; and equitable coverage of 90% for catch-up vaccination with an extended age range of 15-39.

The government acknowledges that while “this is a challenging and ambitious target” — partly through barriers experienced in deprived communities — it is “committed to pursuing innovation and investment while driving collaborative efforts across healthcare and beyond to achieve elimination at a population level by 2040”.

InnoScot Health has recently been working with NHS Lothian midwives Marianne Hay and Stacey Boyle on Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™ to realise their ambitions for the innovation to reach hospitals across the UK, possibly even globally, in turn improving neonatal care and outcomes.

The organisation believes its new innovation call — set to be launched on 11 February — can help make a difference by inspiring and identifying collaborative new thinking in this important area.