Why it matters: The return comes as national figures show over 740,000 women remained on NHS gynaecology waiting lists as of December 2025 – a fall of just three per cent in more than a year. If every woman currently on the waiting list stood shoulder to shoulder, the queue would stretch more than 191 miles.
The big picture: Demand for gynaecology services continues to rise, with 1.61 million referrals made in England between October 2024 and October 2025 – around 24 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has warned that 2026 must be a turning point for women waiting for treatment.
The details: The festival-style event will bring together clinical specialists, charities and local businesses for a full day of expert-led talks and interactive sessions. Topics have been shaped directly by audience feedback from the debut event and include breast cancer, endometriosis, pregnancy, menopause, neurodiversity and egg freezing.
Talks will be delivered by NHS specialists, Suffolk Mind, and best-selling author Dr Liz O'Riordan, a former consultant breast surgeon who has faced cancer three times and is now one of the UK's most recognised patient advocates.
Dr O'Riordan said: "It's great that women's health is finally taking centre stage, but we must include discussions about how to prevent illness as well. It's not sexy or exciting, but I hope that every woman attending will leave with positive steps she can take to reduce her chance of getting ill in the future."
Attendees will also be able to browse stalls from local businesses and charities, including Women's Health Hope, Cancer Support Suffolk, Lighthouse Women's Aid and Suffolk Pride.
What they're saying: Amy Peckham-Driver, marketing lead for Let's Talk Women's Health and a listed speaker, said: "As an endometriosis sufferer, I'm all too familiar with NHS waiting lists and the catastrophic impact they can have on a person's life. With progressive diseases like mine, time spent on a waiting list can literally mean the difference between losing an organ or not, having a baby or not, or between simply surviving and being able to live a full life.
"This is why it's absolutely critical to strengthen education around women's health conditions – not just on the patient side, but on the practitioner side, too – so that future generations don't have to face the unavoidable loss I've been forced to live with."
Jen Evans, co-founder and director, said: "Women's health should be a community-wide conversation because it affects every area of life. Home, work, socially. You may have a good friend or colleague that is in need of support; having knowledge of how to support them is vital. It's time to put women's needs first."
For context: Let's Talk Women's Health is now a registered Community Interest Company, led by directors Jen Evans, Katie Winearls and Dr Julie Kite. Key sponsors for 2026 include Active Suffolk, Nuffield Health and MSC, alongside a growing network of community partners.
Meanwhile, the Government has announced plans to renew its Women's Health Strategy as part of a wider 10-year health plan, including the introduction of menopause questions into NHS Health Checks and a renewed focus on tackling inequalities in access to care.
The bottom line: Organisers say the goal remains the same as last year – to create a space where people can meet experts, ask questions they may never have had the opportunity to ask before, and leave feeling better informed and empowered about their own health.
