World Menopause Day 2023: Anne's Story
The menopause affects many of us, and those close to us, and can cause a range of symptoms, from brain fog to mood swings. Yet despite affecting thousands of people across the NHS, it often remains a taboo subject.
Anne Toone, NOE CPC’s Governance, Performance and Sustainability Director for Facilities and Office Solutions, has been a champion for those living with the menopause in her current and previous roles.
To mark World Menopause Day on 18 October 2023, Anne told us about her experience and why she felt the need to take action.
“At 52, my life changed with the onset of the menopause. I suffered quite debilitating brain fog and literally overnight changed from a confident, outgoing person into someone who struggled to find words, couldn’t remember names or previous events, and was unable to articulate anything in the way I had previously. I felt frightened, isolated, and worried that those around me, particularly in the workplace, would start to question my ability to perform as I had.
“As the menopause was generally not talked about, and the symptom of brain fog even less so, I felt that I had no one to talk to who would understand what I was going through. I knew I had to discuss it in the workplace so that people understood what was happening to me. As there was no menopause policy or guidance in place at my previous workplace, I was keen to progress their development and implementation with HR colleagues to help others in the same situation and to raise awareness. I wrote a blog about my menopause journey and, on the day it was published, five women contacted me, one in tears, to thank me for speaking out and for making them realise they were not alone.
“I set up a monthly support group, a safe space for discussion, but quickly realised that whilst this was vital support, what was needed was for the menopause to be openly talked about in the workplace. I’m proud to say that when I left my previous organisation, we had a working group in place and 30 people trained as Menopause Champions, a number of them men who wanted to educate themselves and others to support the women in their life or team members.
“I work within the Facilities and Office Solutions Category Management Service Provider (CMSP) team. As part of the bid for the work we were required to make social value commitments. One of these is to raise awareness of the menopause at NOE CPC. I was pleased to see that commitment and to be leading this element of our social value delivery. I hope my previous experience and my commitment to raising awareness will contribute to making our workplace even better and that together we can continue to educate ourselves and others about the menopause, eliminating any taboo simply by having open discussions.
“I feel lucky that my experiences in the workplace have been positive and I felt able to speak out. I know not every woman can or will do that which is why I will always continue to speak out and support others on their menopause journey.”
Leigh Pratt, Head of Support Services in the Facilities and Office Solutions team, has been a menopause champion at NOE CPC for several years and in 2021 set up a Menopause Support Group for colleagues working for our hosts, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
You can read more about why Leigh set this group up in her previous blog post.