Boots has promised to pick up the cost of hormone replacement therapy prescriptions for its menopausal staff and called on more businesses to emulate it (Kat Lay writes).
The move by the pharmacy follows the high street chain Timpson in October, and forms part of a package of support for staff going through the menopause. In a letter to The Times today, Seb James, managing director of Boots, writes that “women need more than talk when it comes to the menopause”. He adds: “Lives and livelihoods are at risk if more support is not offered in education, medical settings and, crucially, in workplaces.”
From April, any Boots employee paying for HRT prescriptions from the NHS will be able to claim the cost back through the company expenses system. It said that about 8,600 employees were potentially able to benefit from the policy and about 15 per cent of those were likely to receive HRT in England. They could save up to £224 per year thanks to the new system.
Boots said that it recognised that HRT “isn’t for everyone” and that it would also take “a holistic approach”, including menopause at work guidance and a menopause network. Staff will also be able to access advice from doctors on managing the symptoms.
Carolyn Harris, MP for Swansea East and chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary group on menopause, said that the symptoms varied between women, but for some they could be unbearable. “Changes such as this in the workplace will support all those experiencing the menopause in all roles and will make such a difference,” she said.
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• Fertility rates in England and Wales have increased slightly for the first time in a decade, driven by women giving birth later, the Office for National Statistics says. There were 1.5 per cent more live births last year than in 2020, but the total remained “well below” the 2019 number, it said. The largest rise was in women aged 35-39, with the fertility rate rising 5.2 per cent from 2020.
