Pelvic Health Education Sessions Shortlisted for NHS Wales Award 2026

Key Points

• The pelvic health physiotherapy team of Swansea Bay University Health Board has been nominated in the Person-Centred Care category of the NHS Wales Awards 2026.
• The team organized free self-referral pelvic health education clinics in community centers in Swansea Bay, such as leisure centers and community rooms in supermarkets.
• Online evening education clinics are also provided for women aged 16 and above, who do not require a referral from a general practitioner.
• Education clinics focus on bladder symptoms, pelvic floor exercises, menopause, menstrual health, faecal incontinence, prolapse symptoms and pain during intercourse.
• Over 350 women have already used the clinic’s services.
• Waiting times for this service dropped from 12 weeks to three weeks.
• According to the health board, patients’ confidence rose by more than 50% based on their assessment measures; the confidence of patients regarding pelvic floor exercises and lifestyle management increased by 76%.
• A third of symptomatic patients did not need a GP appointment after participating in an education session.
• The project has been nominated along with other projects implemented in NHS Wales; the winners will be announced during the ceremony in Cardiff this November.

Swansea (Wales Times) October 09, 2026 — A prevention-focused pelvic health project run by uk/local/swansea/">Swansea Bay University Health Board has been shortlisted for a national award after creating community-based education sessions that have helped more than 350 women access specialist information and support.

As reported by Swansea Bay University Health Board, the health board’s pelvic health physiotherapy team redesigned the way women can access pelvic health care by introducing self-referral education sessions in community venues, alongside evening online sessions. The project has now been shortlisted in the Person-Centred Care category at this year’s NHS Wales Awards.

The sessions are available to women aged 16 and over and are designed to provide practical information before symptoms become more serious. They cover bladder symptoms, including leaking when jumping or exercising and bladder overactivity, as well as menopause, menstrual health, faecal incontinence, prolapse symptoms and pain with intercourse.

What does the shortlisting mean for the Swansea Bay team?

The shortlisting recognises a service model that moved pelvic health physiotherapy away from a primarily hospital-based, referral-led pathway and into community settings. According to the health board, sessions have been held in venues including leisure centres and supermarket community rooms.

Swansea Bay’s Deputy Head of Physiotherapy, Jordanna Roberts, said the team wanted to create a prevention-focused community model to improve access, empower women and reduce pressure on wider services.

As reported by Swansea Bay University Health Board, Roberts said:

“We wanted to create a prevention-focused community model to help improve access, empower women and also reduce pressure on wider services.”

She said that access had previously often relied on referrals from GPs and hospital-based pathways. The redesigned pathway changed the service from a reactive, secondary-care service into a prevention-focused, community-based model.

Roberts added:

“The new self-referral pathway removed unnecessary barriers and provided patients with a direct route into specialist pelvic health physiotherapy.”

Why were community venues chosen for the sessions?

The team engaged with members of the public to understand the type of support women felt they needed. The health board said the approach was intended to make specialist advice more accessible and reduce the need for women to navigate multiple referral routes.

Community sessions have previously been held at Penlan Leisure Centre and in the community rooms at Morrisons in Baglan, as well as Tesco stores in Llansamlet and Fforestfach. The health board said the venues were chosen to bring education and advice closer to where women already spend time.

The service also provides evening online sessions, which the health board says allow women to attend at a time that suits them without needing a GP referral. Digital resources have also been made available through Swansea Bay’s women’s health hub, an online information hub offering advice on a range of women’s health topics.

How many women have benefited from the project?

More than 350 women have already benefited from the education sessions, according to Swansea Bay University Health Board. The sessions are delivered by the health board’s pelvic health physiotherapy team.

The health board said data collected by the service showed that patients felt more confident carrying out pelvic floor exercises, while some participants said they no longer felt they needed a GP appointment about their symptoms.

Roberts said the impact had been significant. As reported by Swansea Bay University Health Board, she said: “Patient confidence improved by over 50 per cent across all of our measures, with confidence in pelvic floor exercises and lifestyle management increasing by around 76 per cent.”

She added that one third of symptomatic attendees said they no longer needed a GP appointment after attending an education session. The health board said this indicated a reduction in avoidable demand on primary care.

Has the project reduced waiting times?

The health board said the redesigned pathway and accessible community education sessions had reduced the service’s waiting list from 12 weeks to three weeks.

The reduction was presented by the health board as one of the main operational outcomes of the project. It said the model had helped empower women with self-management, reduce demand on primary care, improve women’s health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

Roberts said:

“It has helped to empower women with self-management, reduce demand on primary care, and improve women’s health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.”

What happens next in the NHS Wales Awards?

The project will now compete in the Person-Centred Care category at the NHS Wales Awards 2026. The health board said the winners will be announced in November at this year’s awards event in Cardiff.

The NHS Wales Awards recognise teams delivering improvements in quality, safety and performance that transform services, experiences and outcomes for people across Wales. The 2026 programme includes 13 categories aligned with the Duty of Quality and the Health and Care Quality Standards 2023.

For 2026, all colleagues across NHS Wales can take part in the judging process. Shortlisted teams were invited to produce a poster showcasing their project, and colleagues across the system can vote for category winners.

The Person-Centred Care Award recognises projects that have made improvements to ensure patients are at the centre of decisions, services and their own care. The award guidance says projects in the category may have addressed diverse needs, including ensuring Welsh-language services are visible and accessible.

What has the health board said about the achievement?

Swansea Bay’s Head of Physiotherapy, Rebecca Kennedy, said it had been rewarding to see the project develop and to observe its impact on women in the Swansea Bay area.

As reported by Swansea Bay University Health Board, Kennedy said:

“It has been very rewarding to see this project develop and the obvious positive impact it has had on the lives of ladies in the Swansea Bay area.”

She described the project as an example of sustainable service change and patient empowerment. Kennedy said:

“This is a great example of sustainable service change and empowering patients with the knowledge they need to improve their health and wellbeing.”

She added:

“The team has done an outstanding job, and we are extremely proud of their achievement.”

Background of the development

The project follows the launch of the Welsh Government’s Women’s Health Plan, which sets out a 10-year vision to improve healthcare services for women. Swansea Bay University Health Board introduced the community sessions in February 2026 as part of its wider women’s health hub work.

The health board’s Primary and Community Care Academy organised several sessions, many of which were led and supported by hospital-based obstetricians and gynaecologists. The initiative was designed to shift pelvic health physiotherapy into a primary-care and community setting, making support more accessible across Swansea Bay.

Physiotherapist Jemima Sanders, who delivers the sessions, previously said the aim was to empower women with education and advice throughout every stage of life. She said the sessions were designed to help women understand, manage and prevent potential pelvic health issues.

Prediction: How could this development affect women in Swansea Bay?

If the model continues to operate as described, women in Swansea Bay could have more direct access to specialist pelvic health information without first needing to arrange a GP appointment. The self-referral route and online evening sessions may be particularly relevant for women who face time, travel, work or caring responsibilities that make daytime hospital appointments difficult.

For women experiencing symptoms such as bladder leakage, pelvic organ prolapse, faecal incontinence or pain during intercourse, earlier education could help them understand available self-management options and decide when further clinical assessment is appropriate. The health board’s reported outcomes suggest the sessions may also reduce avoidable primary-care demand, although continued monitoring would be needed to assess the service’s longer-term impact.

For NHS services, the project could provide an example of how prevention-focused community education can support earlier access to specialist advice while reducing pressure on GP practices and hospital pathways. The award result, expected in November, may influence how widely the approach is recognised across NHS Wales, but it will not by itself determine whether the model is adopted elsewhere.