Bridging the Gap in Women’s Pelvic Health: An Innovator Perspective

I was fortunate enough to be invited to join Health Innovation Network’s Innovation Exchange discussing women’s health at this year’s NHSConfed Expo, and diving into what the future of women’s pelvic health looks like.

Women’s pelvic health is still one of the most under-recognised and underserved areas in healthcare today. Millions of women are affected by pelvic floor disorders or pain throughout their lives, and despite this, it is still misunderstood or normalised, leaving many people without timely access to care or even supported with basic information.

At getUBetter, we are working alongside the NHS to address this gap through accessible, scalable self-management support which is integrated seamlessly into existing care pathways.

Improving Access and Information

Our work with the NHS has highlighted the biggest pressure point in women’s health is access to pelvic health services and information. 

Long waiting times for pelvic health physiotherapy and urogynaecology services are well documented. However, what is equally significant, and often less visible, is what happens before women reach these services. 

Through discovery work and clinician focus groups, we understand that women often wait months, or longer, for specialist support, many arrive at their first appointment with minimal knowledge or self-management strategies, and delays result in worsening and more complex symptoms, requiring more intensive clinical intervention. 

This creates a self-perpetuating cycle of increased waiting times, more complex presentations, more appointments, reduced capacity, and further delays. The broader impact of this is significant. More than 80% of women with pelvic health issues report that it affects their work, highlighting the economic and societal cost of poor access.

Support Across the Whole Pathway

getUBetter is a digital self-management platform for musculoskeletal (MSK) and Women’s Pelvic Health, designed to complement and work alongside NHS services. Our platform supports women across the entire care pathway, wherever they reach out for help – for example, primary or secondary care, community or maternity services or via self-referral. We offer three pelvic health pathways. 

Comprehensive, Life-Course Support

The General Pelvic Health Pathway covers the full life course from menstruation to menopause, with support for the most common pelvic health conditions – pelvic pain, stress urinary incontinence (SUI), overactive bladder (OAB), and pelvic organ prolapse. 

Perinatal Support

The Pregnancy and After Birth Pathways are designed to specifically support women with their pelvic health through the perinatal period. Covering common pelvic floor and musculoskeletal conditions, alongside preventative strategies and recovery support.  

All three pathways include access to a free, inbuilt pelvic floor trainer. This is set-up using an expert led step-by-step onboarding process, so it is personalised and tailored to the user. It also equips women with the skills to recognise symptoms of an overactive pelvic floor, providing them with access to a targeted relaxation and down training program if needed. 

Where Can Innovation Have the Most Impact?

The earliest point of contact offers the strongest opportunity. By providing early access to self-management support it:  

Empowers and enables women

• To manage their symptoms more quickly, preventing symptom progression or more longstanding problems  

• To have a better understanding of when and where to seek help if needed 

Supports Services by 

• Reducing unnecessary demand
• Enabling more effective and efficient consultations – as women turn up to appointments better informed and having already started self-management
• Reducing follow-up appointments 
• Freeing up capacity for those with more urgent or complex needs. 

Delivering Measurable Impact

getUBetter is currently supporting approximately 16,000 women across 5 Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), reaching all age groups and all deciles of deprivation. We know that 60% of usage occurs outside of traditional clinical hours, demonstrating the need for access to digital support alongside routine care.

And we know that our approach is delivering measurable results.

Evidence: The Key Outcomes

• Up to 80% reduction in physiotherapy waiting lists
• 88% fewer follow-up appointments
• Cost per QALY of £6,000
• Return on investment (ROI) for the NHS of £3.51 for every £1 spent
• Return on investment (ROI) for the Local Economy of £8.56 for every £1 spent

Patient-Reported Impact

• ~60% feel more confident performing pelvic floor exercises
• Over 50% report improved understanding of their condition
• More than half know where to seek help
• 1 in 5 say the app helped them stay in or return to work

These outcomes reflect both clinical, system-level and economic value, including improved productivity, reduced inequalities, and enhanced patient empowerment.

Barriers to Scale: The Challenges

Scaling innovation across the NHS is not straightforward. One of the biggest challenges is the variation between systems, no two ICSs or services operate in quite the same way. Local configuration is essential, which can also add complexity when implementing and scaling a consistent solution.

The processes around integration and commissioning can also slow progress. Navigating procurement, securing funding, and aligning with multiple stakeholders, across clinical, digital, information governance, and leadership teams, requires significant time and resource.

In addition to this, clinical engagement can be a challenge to sustain. Teams are often working under pressure, with limited capacity and competing priorities. Resulting in high-value solutions needing ongoing support to stay on the agenda.

Finally, short-term thinking continues to be a barrier. Pilot-based approaches can help get initiatives started, but they rarely provide enough time to demonstrate meaningful, system-wide impact.

From Interest to Implementation: What Works in Practice

Turning interest into meaningful implementation requires structure, collaboration, and ongoing commitment. The solution works best when clear ownership is established from the outset alongside a dedicated project lead, and with input from a multidisciplinary team that aligns clinical, digital, and governance expertise. 

Strong supplier support also plays a key role. Providing practical guidance, templates, and hands-on help reduces the burden on NHS teams and helps accelerate progress. Just as importantly, local services need the space to shape the solution, so it fits their pathways and population needs. 

Successful go-live isn’t just a technical milestone. It relies on clear communication, visibility across teams, and the early identification of champions who can drive adoption. But the work doesn’t stop there. Ongoing education, regular data review, and continuous optimisation are what turn initial uptake into long-term, sustainable impact. 

What Do Innovators Need from NHS Partners?

To successfully scale solutions that make a difference, innovators and NHS partners need to work in closer alignment. At its core, this starts with shared goals and a collective focus on improving access, reducing waiting times, and delivering better outcomes for patients. When everyone is aligned in working towards the same objectives, it becomes much easier to move from intention to impact. 

Open and consistent communication is just as important. NHS teams and innovators need to share meaningful insight and feedback to help ensure solutions are shaped around real service needs whilst speeding up adoption in a meaningful way. 

Finally, there’s a clear need to move beyond short-term thinking. There’s no shortage of high-quality innovation; the real constraint is often resource and funding. The opportunity for longer-term partnerships provides solutions the time and stability they need to fully embed, demonstrate value, and deliver sustainable change at scale.

The Opportunity to Unlock the Future of Women’s Health

Women’s pelvic health is a critical area where innovation can deliver immediate and meaningful impact. We can achieve this by enabling earlier intervention, empowering self-management, and integrating into existing pathways 

The evidence is growing. Digital self-management solutions can help break the cycle of long waits, worsening conditions, and alleviate ongoing system pressures. Now is the time to connect innovation with system priorities, ensuring that every woman has opportunity to access timely, effective support, wherever she is in her healthcare journey. 

 You can learn more about our Women’s Pelvic Health pathway, here.