![\"Angela](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/fdf9ab02f733d878cb8ed4695a71ac15-1789562267.jpeg\")
STV NewsAngela has COPD, diabetes and has suffered multiple aneurysms STV News<\/p>\nWomen in Scotland are suffering avoidable deaths because their health concerns are not being taken seriously, a charity has warned.<\/p>\n
A report by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland claims women are \u201cbeing failed\u201d by the health system because of barriers to accessing healthcare for chest, heart, stroke and other long-term conditions.<\/p>\n
The charity has set out its new Women\u2019s Health Plan, aiming to improve awareness, prevention, diagnosis and support for women, while calling for greater research, better training and funding.<\/p>\n
Professor Anna Glasier OBE, the Scottish Government\u2019s Women\u2019s Health Champion, is among those who have helped launch the initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m often asked \u2018When are we going to have a men\u2019s health plan?\u2019 and I say we have one: It\u2019s called the NHS,\u201d she told STV News.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are differences in the way women are managed, which puts them at a disadvantage compared with men.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a woman goes to her GP with chest pain at the age of 50, a GP is more likely to think it\u2019s indigestion or anxiety. If a man goes with chest pain, it\u2019s a heart attack until proven otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Figures cited in the report show women in Scotland are 50% more likely than men to receive an initial misdiagnosis after a heart attack, while women across the UK wait significantly longer for a heart failure diagnosis.<\/p>\n
\u2018Women are not being listened to\u2019STV NewsAngela has COPD, diabetes and has suffered multiple aneurysms STV News<\/p>\n
Among those supporting the plan is Angela Bradley, 56, from Dalkeith.<\/p>\n
She has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), diabetes and has survived five brain aneurysms and two strokes.<\/p>\n
She said she spent years juggling family responsibilities while putting her health on the \u201cback burner,\u201d which she believes was made worse by medical dismissal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my body as most people do. I was pushing myself aside, but so was my GP. But you tend to move on and just get on with things.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recalled having to fight for years for her COPD to be taken seriously before she was diagnosed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told \u2018you\u2019ve got a chest infection, you\u2019ll be fine,’\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was frustrating. I knew something deeper was going on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t being taken seriously. I had to push to get my health seen to.\u201d<\/p>\n
By 2023, Angela\u2019s health reached a critical point, culminating in a stroke, which she says changed her entire life.<\/p>\n
The stroke left her with severe fatigue, unable to drive because of foot drop and with ongoing mobility difficulties.<\/p>\n
![\"Angela](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/807c8ee5c0069690ffff188bd496d658-1789571874.jpeg\")
STV NewsAngela suffers from multiple health conditions STV News<\/p>\n
\u201cThis stroke really affected me physically. I didn\u2019t want to speak to anybody. I was fed up because of everything that happened to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had addressed everything, things might have been different. Was what happened in 2023 on my cards? I cannot say.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s had a big impact on my day-to-day life. Life is difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela says it\u2019s worrying how little things have changed over the past two decades, recalling a hysterectomy she underwent at the age of 29.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to have a hysterectomy because I got ignored. I\u2019m now 56, and things are still happening like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says her 34-year-old daughter, who has endometriosis, is now also experiencing medical dismissal.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has been fighting for years to be seen by a doctor in the hospital, and she still hasn\u2019t seen one.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe keeps getting buffed off by the GP. Because it\u2019s her period. That\u2019s what she is getting told. It\u2019s absolute rubbish.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you get buffed off too many times, you stop going to the doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela believes societal pressures faced by women also have a disproportionate impact on their health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen are expected to go and do their full day\u2019s work, come home, set up the house, look after the kids and deal with everyday life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have more challenging problems nowadays, and they\u2019re expected to deal with them. But they\u2019re not listened to. We should be listened to.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says peer support groups provided by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland are helping her recovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person running it was absolutely fantastic, a beacon of light,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gets me out my house.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must look after yourself so you can look after your family too. I never used to ask for help, but I\u2019ve learned to. It\u2019s so important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018The health service fails women\u2019![\"Scottish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/f4716001435bbd46186e9a5815a842f4-1789563371.jpeg\")
STV NewsScottish Government\u2019s women\u2019s health champion Professor Anna Glasier STV News<\/p>\n
Professor Glasier says the reasons behind the neglect of women in the health system is down to multiple factors, including subconscious bias.<\/p>\n
She says women see their GP more regularly than men throughout their lives due to family responsibilities and reproductive healthcare needs, meaning their concerns may not always be taken as seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy to think something is not as urgent as when a man goes to see their GP,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
She said women\u2019s health needs differ from men\u2019s, but that is not always reflected in healthcare protocols.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is women have different health conditions than men do, particularly reproductive health issues, and they\u2019re often not as well managed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many health conditions which are more likely to affect women than men, including dementia, autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis. There are lots of issues where women are less likely to get effective treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Women facing health disparities<\/p>\n
Figures show that women in Scotland are 50% more likely than men to receive an initial misdiagnosis after a heart attack, and across the UK, women are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed with heart failure, many waiting an average of 20 weeks for a diagnosis compared with just 3.6 weeks for men.<\/p>\n
Additionally, there are more than 4,600 incidences of stroke in women in Scotland every year, with over 1,200 dying as a result.<\/p>\n
Asthma and COPD are also more common in women, who are also nearly twice as likely to die from asthma as men.<\/p>\n
The disparities run right through the system, with women less likely to be offered diagnostic testing within 72 hours of a heart attack and less likely to be prescribed medication that reduces the risk of a second one.<\/p>\n
Moreover, conditions that predominantly affect women, such as Long Covid and heart conditions like coronary microvascular dysfunction, continue to be under-researched and under-diagnosed. While four in five women say they are not listened to by healthcare professionals.<\/p>\n
CHSS say they will lead action to address them through prevention programmes, professional education, policy influence and improved support for women across Scotland.<\/p>\n
![\"Chest](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/d5102d23ad7515387806907ea875aaf1-1789563421.jpeg\")
STV NewsChest Heart & Stroke Scotland chief Jane-Claire Judson STV News<\/p>\n
Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody can fail to be shocked by the figures we\u2019re seeing. It\u2019s an indefensible situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen have been telling us for years that their symptoms\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0being taken seriously, and the evidence backs them up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we talk about women\u2019s health, we need to look beyond reproductive and maternal health alone. Women experience inequalities across a wide range of conditions, including chest, heart, stroke and Long Covid conditions, and they deserve equitable access to the information, support and care they need.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur CHSS Women\u2019s Health Plan is about listening to those experiences and turning them into meaningful action. By improving awareness, supporting earlier detection and diagnosis, and ensuring women are heard when they seek help, we can begin to address inequalities that have persisted for far too long.\u201d<\/p>\n
STV News is now on WhatsApp<\/p>\n
Get all the latest news from around the country<\/p>\n
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