Holly represents NUH at UN conference on International Women's Day | News

Women at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) are being celebrated for their amazing achievements today on International Women’s Day, March 8. Women make up nearly 75 per cent of the workforce here at NUH and we welcome their achievements all year round. However, on this particular day, we shine a spotlight on them.  

Holly Royston-Ward, a Lead Nurse for Reproductive Services for the Family Health Division, who works between the Queens Medical Centre (QMC) and Nottingham City Hospitals, has been chosen to be a UK Delegate for the United Nations Commission on the Safety of Women (UNCSW).

This takes place for two weeks this month, with some sessions falling on International Women's Day.

Holly will be observing and participating in discussions at the UNCSW and is keen to bring back these learnings to NUH and Reproductive Services. She is keen to address health inequalities in Nottingham, build upon the patient experience framework, and improve service delivery for anyone who identifies as a woman.  All of this will help to improve leadership and culture at a time when the trust is looking to become more inclusive to all.

The UNCSW is the leading global body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Its aim is to discuss emerging issues, trends, focus areas, and new approaches to the health and wellbeing of women across the globe.

This year’s review topic is on the challenges for women and girls facing poverty. Holly will be gaining insights applicable to emerging problems around inflationary pressures and cost-of-living crisis, which are relevant to NUH and Nottingham.

The main theme of UNCSW is around innovation and technology relating to gender equality. Holly will be primarily focussed upon learning about:

• Increasing levels of online gender-based violence as especially relevant to sexual health.
• Digital health factors relevant to NUH/NHS-wide increasing use of online hospital services.
• Growing awareness of technological inequalities, e.g., Gendered harms of social media.
• Gendered and racial inequalities facilitated by algorithms/AI which has the potential to move into healthcare.
• Strong overlaps with gender-based technological inequality and, e.g., border-policing via health data for migrants.

Holly said: “Part my role, within the trust as the Lead Nurse for Reproductive Services, is looking at the advancement of Reproductive Services and Women’s health within NUH. I hope that, by attending UNCSW, I will bring back learning that will improve service delivery and benefit patient experience”.

Holly explained: “The main draw to applying for this role was around innovation and technology, relating to gender equality. In my role, I see increasing levels of online gender based violence, inequalities facilitated by algorithms and AI, and a lot of overlap between health data for migrants and border policing of healthcare systems”.

“My role will hopefully work towards reducing health inequalities here at NUH. We need to look at this from new perspectives, I have only been in NUH for six months but I have many different ideas on what we can do moving forward.”

Holly has a range of experience within women’s health and has worked in reproductive health for over a decade. Born in Derby, she trained to be a nurse in Nottingham and then went on to study for a Diploma in Tropical Nursing at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She has a diploma with the Faculty of Sexual Reproductive Health, and is currently doing a Masters in Women’s Health. Holly has worked in London, Sheffield, and Manchester, as well as now in Nottingham. However, what really sets Holly apart is her vast experience in the international field.

Before she started at NUH, Holly worked for Non-Governmental Organisations. Her experiences range from Ebola centres to Refugee Camps to war zones. Her assignments have seen her work on projects helping women across the globe in countries such as Sierra Leonne, Palestine, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Slovenia. Examples of some of the projects Holly worked on were improving period poverty in Nepal and developing a Sexual Reproductive Health Strategy in Palestine.

All of this fits nicely into the UNCSW looking at health inequalities for women and how technology adversely affects women.

She said: “Technology advancement is something I am aware of in my role and how we can provide a safer environment for all women. I am hoping from listening to global experts at the UNCSW I will be able to bring back to NUH ideas on how to develop new policies. This affects any individual who identifies as a woman or who was born with a uterus. We want to create a safe environment, with equal access to healthcare for women at NUH.”

“Adding a global perspective also has the potential to open new doors and bring new ways of thinking, for managing women's health and wellbeing, within NUH.”” 

Furthermore Holly is interested in working with NUH's Global Health Partnership.

If you know of an exceptional female who deserves recognition email NUH.Communications@nuh.nhs.uk.