Scotland is committed to improving health outcomes for women in Scotland. Women face health inequalities and in some cases disadvantages because they are women.
Author: Scottish Enterprise
Women account for 51% of Scotland’s population. Research shows that women in the most affluent areas in Scotland experience 25.1 more years of good health compared to the most deprived areas. Heart disease is a leading cause of maternal death in the UK. The British Heart Foundation, Bias and Biology Report found that there are inequalities in the way women with heart attacks are diagnosed, treated and cared for afterwards compared with men, costing lives.
Better health is correlated with economic prosperity so improving women’s health has potential benefits to the economy. There are opportunities for companies in Scotland to address the challenges in women’s health with breakthrough technology and collaborations to make health more equitable and inclusive.
The Scottish Government’s Women's Health Plan: A plan for 2021-2024 and its 2023 Progress Report marks the first stage of a long-term commitment to reducing health inequalities for women. The plan sets out a specific focus on priority areas. Menopause, endometriosis, access to information, termination, and contraception services, and reducing inequalities for women’s general health, with specific work on cardiac disease. The ambition is for a holistic, inclusive approach responsive to individual needs and choices.
Market Size:
It is difficult to source an up-to-date total market size for Women’s Health in Scotland or the UK. This is made challenging due to the broad spectrum of services and treatments it covers. The McKinsey Health Institute estimate the global market could be worth $1 trillion. Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies McKinsey. Women in the UK are living longer. Life expectancy at birth for women in the UK in 2022 was 90.4 years for females. However healthy life expectancy, the average number of years a person will live in general good health is 63.6 years for females.
Major markets in Women’s Health include:
Menopause, and menstrual health including endometriosis.
Around 5.1 million women in the UK aged between 45 and 55 years, a large range of women are potentially menopausal (Source: ONS population estimates for mid-2019)
In Scotland, around 400,000 women in Scotland are of menopausal age and over a third of the female workforce is over 50
It is estimated that endometriosis affects 1.5 million (1 in 10) women in the UK of reproductive age, and it takes an average of 8.5 years to diagnose
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Pre-eclampsia affects around 1 in 10 pregnancies and has been linked with a greater risk of heart disease in the future
Heart health and chronic ill health
Almost 1 in 10 deaths in women in Scotland each year are caused by ischaemic heart disease.
It is estimated that there are currently 300,000 people in Scotland living with osteoporosis, a condition which is more common in women than men BHF Bias and Biology Briefing
Opportunities
The evolving Women’s Health sector has opportunities for:
Supply chain and manufacturing
Medical tech and digital tech
Life sciences and human health companies to diversify with
products and services that focus on women’s health needs
Solutions which improve diagnostic support for women with
cardiovascular disease
Women-centred research, development, and innovation.
Women have been historically underrepresented in clinical
research including cardiovascular trials
Products and services that redress inequalities
Key Buyers
Key buyers for the women’s health sector include:
The NHS - Hospitals and clinics
Private sector hospitals and clinics
Local authorities and other public sector organisations.
Social care providers
Commercial specialist health care providers.
The third sector – not-for-profit organisations and non-governmental bodies
Employers - Companies are increasingly recognising the importance of supporting women’s health in the workplace
Insurance Companies: Health insurers are increasingly covering ‘Femtech solutions’ as part of their plans recognising the importance of preventive care and personalised health management for women.
Government and Public Health Organisations: Governments and public health bodies invest in women’s health technologies to improve public health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
Companies
Scottish Industry Directories has a life and chemical sciences directory for Scotland including digital health, medical devices and diagnostics, and precision medicine
ABHI Association for Health Tech community.
UK BioIndustry Association has a searchable company directory.
The Research Service can also source lists of companies -
Contact us at: research@scotent.co.uk
External Funding & Sector Support
Scottish Enterprise’s funding database lists the latest UK and worldwide funding calls
Scaling innovation for business growth offers funding opportunities and support to future industries looking to innovate and scale
Find business support in Scotland is a source of funding, events, training, and programmes
Life Sciences in Scotland publishes information on funding, news, and events in the sector
Scotland Innovates is a portal for suppliers and citizens to submit proposals for innovative goods and services to the Scottish public sector, with Innovators directed to appropriate guidance and support. It also includes details of Small Business Research Initiatives (SBRI) and support available through the Chief Scientist Office
Research Support
The Research Service provides free market research and company information to businesses in Scotland. Latest reports relating to Women’s Health and Femtech that the Research team at research@scotent.co.uk can help you access include:
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This report was created by Scottish Enterprise. For more information, please visit: https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/
