The Women’s Health Services Network (WHSN) welcomes the release of the Victorian Government’s Victorian Pain Standard, an important milestone in addressing the longstanding inequities experienced by women, girls and gender diverse people in the healthcare system. The Standard is a significant outcome of the Victorian Inquiry into Women’s Pain and reflects the voices of thousands of Victorians who shared their experiences of having pain dismissed, minimised, normalised or overlooked.
The WHSN was proud to make a collective submission to the Inquiry, drawing on the expertise of women’s health services across Victoria and the lived experiences of the communities we work alongside. Our submission called for a healthcare system that listens to and believes women and gender diverse people, addresses systemic gender bias and other intersecting forms of discrimination, improves access to culturally safe, timely and equitable care, and embeds gender equity across research, education, policy and service delivery.
The Victorian Pain Standard reinforces a simple but powerful principle: women, girls and gender diverse people should be taken seriously and believed when they talk about pain. It sets a clear expectation that all Victorians are entitled to respectful, evidence-based, trauma-informed and person-centred care. The Standard explicitly recognises that historic systemic bias has contributed to women experiencing unnecessary and avoidable pain and delays in diagnosis and treatment. Through these standards we hope women and gender-diverse people, particularly First Nations women, women with disabilities, and those from migrant and refugee backgrounds who face additional barriers to receiving appropriate medical care will be seen, understood and barriers addressed, so that no women, girl or gender diverse person is in unnecessary pain.
WHSN Chair, Carolyn Gillespie, said the release of the Standard represents an important step towards validating the experiences of women and gender diverse people across Victoria.
“For too long, women have been told that their pain is normal, exaggerated or simply something they must endure. The Victorian Pain Standard sends a clear message that pain should never be dismissed and that every woman deserves to be listened to, respected and believed.”
“The Women’s Health Services Network welcomes this important reform and acknowledges the thousands of women and gender diverse people whose courage in sharing their experiences through the Inquiry has helped drive this change.”
WHSN Deputy Chair, Kate Phillips, said the Standard reflects many of the priorities identified in the Network’s submission to the Inquiry.
“Our submission highlighted the importance of centring lived experience, addressing systemic gender bias and intersectional barriers, and improving access to holistic, patient-centred care. We are pleased to see these principles reflected in the Victorian Pain Standard.”
“Importantly, the Standard recognises that high-quality pain care is not only about treatment. It is about ensuring people are informed, respected, involved in decisions about their care and supported to navigate a health system that has not always served them equitably.”
WHSN Chair, Carolyn Gillespie, said the release of the Standard is an important foundation for broader health system change.
“The Victorian Pain Standard establishes what women and gender diverse people should be able to expect when seeking care for pain, regardless of what language they speak, where they live or which service they attend.”
“We now need accountability measures and training resources for the Standard to be developed to ensure that clinicians are delivering gender-responsive and equitable healthcare, coupled with sustained investment in medical research into women’s health to close the knowledge gap and ensure that medical treatments and interventions are safe for everyone.”
Across Victoria, all 12 Women’s Health Services are already working with communities, health services, clinicians, researchers and government partners to implement the recommendations of the Inquiry into Women’s Pain in ways that respond to local needs and experiences. Through health promotion, workforce development, community engagement, advocacy and systems reform, the Network remains committed to closing the gender pain gap and improving health outcomes for women and gender diverse people. This work builds on the WHSN’s broader role in supporting implementation of reforms arising from the Inquiry into Women’s Pain.
The WHSN looks forward to continuing to work with the Victorian Government, healthcare services and communities to ensure the principles contained within the Victorian Pain Standard translate into meaningful and lasting improvements in care.
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