Care England News Alert: Menopause Article Series
Menopause in Social Care
Menopause touches almost everyone in our sector, whether directly or through someone they work alongside or care for. The social care workforce is 78% female with an average age of 45, so this is central to how well we look after our people and, in turn, the people they care for. Left unsupported, menopause can push good staff out of a workforce that is already stretched. Supported well, it can help someone stay, thrive, and bring their full self to work. It also matters for the people we care for. Post-menopausal symptoms continue well into later life, so a great many of the people our sector supports are living with those effects too.
The more openly we talk about menopause, the better equipped our staff are to recognise and respond to it in the people they support, particularly where those experiences are harder to put into words.
This is also now a legal issue as well as a moral one. The Employment Rights Act 2025 has made menopause a codified workplace equality issue. Employers with over 250 employees will be required to publish Equality Action Plans, which will set out how they will support employees affected by menopause, voluntarily this year and mandatorily next year
Yet despite how prominent an issue menopause is in the sector, and how directly poor support affects wellbeing, retention, and ultimately a provider's ability to deliver consistent, high-quality care, it remains stigmatised and poorly understood.
Care England's work on this subject aims to break that stigma and help providers support both their workforce and the residents who may be experiencing menopause, perimenopause, or post-menopause.
We're midway through our Menopause in Social Care series, five articles exploring what good support looks like in practice, in partnership with Diane Danzebrink of Menopause Support. The first three are live now.
Menopause is a workforce issue
An overview of menopause in adult social care. It is not one single, uniform experience, and it doesn't happen in one way or at one age. The narrower our assumptions, the more likely people's experiences are to be missed or dismissed. Awareness shapes how quickly someone feels able to ask for help and be properly supported.
Why individualised support is key
A one-size-fits-all approach risks missing experiences that fall outside the "expected" pattern. Menopause doesn't start from the same baseline for everyone; hormonal factors, neurodiversity, and learning disabilities all play a part, alongside social factors like culture and economic inequality. Given how diverse our workforce is, these intersections matter for getting support right.
Why practical support matters as much as awareness
Symptoms can shape everyday life even before they're recognised, and the psychological effects, anxiety, low mood, memory and concentration difficulties, are often just as significant as the physical ones. There are no magic answers, but small changes such as delegating where possible and building in moments of calm can help. Seeking support can often mark a genuine turning point, and it is never a sign of weakness.
If symptoms are affecting your quality of life, or someone in your team's, that's reason enough to seek help. Care England has partnered with Diane Danzebrink of Menopause Support to offer free on-demand webinars for everyone working in the care sector, plus free one-to-one menopause consultations for care workers facing financial hardship. You can find out more and book support here: careengland.org.uk/menopause-support-for-the-care-workforce
For more information about our work on menopause, please contact Abi at awalton@careengland.org.uk.