NIHR invests in project examining menopause support in healthcare
Researchers at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) have been awarded a major national grant to examine menopause support in the healthcare workplace.
The BOOST Study (Building occupational and workplace for nurses and midwives working in health and social care during Menopause) is a new project funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Work and Health Development Award.
BOOST is a 10-month preparatory project that will lay the groundwork for a future programme of work to develop tailored support in the workplace. It is part of a select group of 16 nationally-funded projects.
In this phase, BOOST is focusing on learning about the impacts of the menopause on nurses and midwives across the East of England in all healthcare settings, before future projects focus on the wider workforce.
Louise McCarthy, Research Nurse for NSFT, said: Menopause can have a significant impact on health, wellbeing and working life. The BOOST project aims to explore the lived experiences and views of nurses and midwives experiencing menopause in the workplace, with a focus on what works well and where improvements are needed with support offered by the workplace.
NSFT has an award-winning employee support programme in place, which includes peer-to-peer support, line manager training, system-wide webinars and a menopause policy, plus information on its Trust intranet. It has menopause-friendly accreditation.
Chief Nurse Anthony Deery said: More than 70% of our workforce at NSFT are women so our menopause support has been crucial. The Women's Network and our wellbeing team have worked really hard over the last three years to build this programme, leading up to being named Menopause and Menstruation Friendly Employer of the Year for 2025, which is a great testimony to them.
We hope the BOOST project led by our research team, will lead to more organisations across the NHS recognising the importance of menopause support for supporting and retaining our nursing and other healthcare staff.
The BOOST project is jointly led by Louise McCarthy and Professor Camille Cronin, Independent Consultant and Professor of Nursing, who has honorary roles with University of Essex, UK and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia and academic partners at The University of East Anglia (UEA).
BOOST is being delivered with healthcare partner organisations Cambridge Community Services, East of England Ambulance Service, Essex Partnerships University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Trust, Norfolk Community and Health Care, West Suffolk Foundation Trust and the University of East Anglia.
Email boostproject@nsft.nhs.uk for more information or see NSFT's website under 'Research'.
This study is funded by the NIHR (Work and Health Research Initiative NIHR209883). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.