What are the menopause hubs and services?

NSW Health is establishing a network of Menopause Services across the state to support women with severe or complex menopause symptoms. The network will be made up of four hubs and 12 services.

Each of the hubs and services will have a coordinator and a team of nursing and allied health professionals. Providing a holistic approach to address complex menopausal management and associated health risks, including bone thinning, weight management and increased risk of heart attack, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke. Hubs will be larger medically-led services.

Ongoing training and knowledge sharing through the Menopause Clinical Network will also ensure the staff within these services are connected.

Where will the hub services be located?

Three of the hubs will be located within metropolitan Sydney and one rural location.

1. Northern Sydney Local Health District will provide a Menopause Health Hub based at Royal North Shore Hospital Campus in St Leonards, Sydney
2.  South-Western Sydney Local Health District will provide a Menopause Support Hub and Menopause Clinic, located at 1 Bolger Street, Campbelltown, Sydney.
3. South-Eastern Sydney Local Health District will provide a Menopause Hub at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick, Sydney.
4. Hunter New England Local Health District will lead a rural network Menopause Hub.

Will the hubs be brand new services?

Two hubs are being established by expanding existing menopause services and two hubs will be established as new services.

• The Royal North Shore Hospital and Royal Hospital Women have long been leaders in menopause treatment. The funding will mean that these services can be expanded to become menopause hubs, providing support to other menopause clinics being set up across NSW.
• The South-Western Sydney Local Health District Menopause Hub and the rural network hub led by Hunter New England Local Health District are new services.

Will regions without a menopause hub have access to the same care?

All local health districts across NSW will have a menopause service as a point of escalation of care from existing primary care services. Services will be networked to hub sites, with the hubs supporting services through virtual medical consults and specialised expertise to staff and patients. Dedicated clinic time will be made available to provide virtual medical consults to women attending menopause services in other regions. This will allow the greatest number of women to be supported across all regions of NSW.

How do these services relate to existing health services?

Women should continue to seek care from their primary care practitioner to support the management of symptoms and risks arising from menopause.

These new services will be an escalation pathway to specialist care for women experiencing severe or complex symptoms of menopause. This will complement existing services and does not replace the need for existing women’s health services and the role of the general practitioner. It provides options for women needing this higher level of expertise for complex management.

How can women access these services?

Women should continue to seek care from their primary care practitioner to support the management of symptoms and risk arising from menopause. Your primary care provider will be able to determine if there is a need to refer to a specialist menopause service.

Have women with lived experience been consulted?

Yes, the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation has established a Consumer Reference Group to provide input into the design, implementation and ongoing improvement of menopause services across NSW.

How have stakeholders been involved in designing these menopause services?

The NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation has established a state-wide group of consumers, clinicians and non-government organisations to support this work.

• Clinical representation will include people with expertise in continence management, musculoskeletal conditions, gynaecology, cardiology, cancer, primary care, rural health, community nursing.
• The Agency for Clinical Innovation will also work with the primary health care sector to ensure that there is a Health Pathway to support local referral processes from general practitioners.
• Collaboration and knowledge-sharing with general practitioners, clinicians and other health professionals will help ensure women are able to access appropriate, high-quality care at the widest possible range of locations across the State.

For more information

Read more about the new network improving access to menopause services for women.