What is an All-Party-Parliamentary Group? (APPG)?
APPGs are cross-party groups that are made up of MPs and Lords who are interested in a specific subject – such as endometriosis and women’s health.
Whilst APPGs cannot change the law, they can change opinion and influence change by writing to Ministers, holding events and meetings, and through tabling events.
The APPG on Endometriosis was founded in 2018, by the late Sir David Amess MP. The purpose of the APPG is to ensure endometriosis remains on the parliamentary agenda.
Endometriosis UK has supported the Group as Secretariat for five years. In our role as Secretariat, Endometriosis UK supports the Group in a number of ways including setting up meetings and taking minutes, sharing briefings and policy papers, and in organising events.
Over the last 5 years, the APPG has been a key voice in raising awareness of endometriosis in Parliament and calling for change on a variety of issues including diagnosis, treatment and research. In 2020, the APPG published a report in collaboration with Endometriosis UK, which brought together the endometriosis community, healthcare practictioners and endometriosis reseachers to call for vital change. The report was the start of a bigger conversation around endometriosis in Parliament - and highlighted how the APPG can make a big difference for those with the disease. Since the launch of the report, the Government launched the ‘Women’s Health Strategy’, and NICE agreed to review part of their Guideline on Endometriosis – two of the policy changes called for within the Report, and separately by Endometriosis UK.
What needs to happen?
The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Endometriosis is being reformed and we need you to urge your local MP to join.
All APPGs were dissolved when the general election was called earlier this year. New rules have set the bar for reforming the groups higher, requiring a minimum number of MPs to support them.
It is vital that the APPG on Endometriosis is reformed to ensure the voice of the endometriosis community is heard in Westminster.
Click here to write to your MP today and urge them to join- it only takes 2 minutes!
The first meeting of the APPG is scheduled for October – meaning we need 20 MPs to sign up to be members as soon as possible, and we want your MP to be one of them to ensure your voice is heard. Write to your MP today!
We are sharing this information in our capacity as Endometriosis UK and not on behalf of the APPG or as the Secretariat.
