BMA Campaign on the Provision of Period Products for NHS Staff

That the Parliament welcomes BMA Scotland’s campaign, #BMAperiods, which is calling for menstrual products to be made available in all hospital toilets to all NHS staff who may need them, free of charge; recognises the work that doctors have done to ensure that all patients who require period products during a hospital stay receive them free of charge; acknowledges that more than half of the NHS workforce menstruate, that healthcare staff work under incredible pressures and, as such, there is an inability to take regular breaks and limited access to retail facilities to buy products, especially out of hours; understands that periods can start unexpectedly and lead to many doctors having experiences of discomfort, anxiety, shame and paranoia about visibility of soiled clothing; believes that menstrual products are not a luxury but a basic provision, and that NHS boards providing them would be in keeping with the spirit of the ground-breaking Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill, and calls on all NHS boards to provide period products in all staff toilet areas to ensure that no staff member has to experience this entirely preventable situation.