Victorian government's Inquiry into Women's Pain report recommends model of care improvements

Urbis welcomes the release of the Women’s Pain Health Inquiry report and its recommendations for strengthening our healthcare system.

Published: November 10, 2025

The Victorian state government has released the Bridging the Gender Pain Gap report, an inquiry into women's experience of pain, and its recommendations for strengthening our healthcare system.

This landmark inquiry shines a critical light on the often-overlooked experiences of women and girls living with pain, bringing their stories and voices to the forefront of public conversation.

In close partnership with Safer Care Victoria, Urbis was honoured to lead the analysis of more than 13,000 survey responses, 250 written submissions, and insights from 20 focus groups.

The key recommendations are across seven areas including :

Women's health research
Policy strengthening
Training and professional development
Cultural change and public awareness
Models of care
Building our workforce
Affordable and accessible healthcare.

Our team is deeply grateful for the trust placed in us by the women, girls, and carers who shared their personal and, at times, deeply challenging experience of pain. Their courage and candour have been both moving and inspiring.
— Christina Bagot, Director, Urbis

Our role involved a thorough review, analysis, and coding of the consultation data to identify key systemic themes, as well as the enablers and barriers faced by those seeking care. Through this process, we gained a profound understanding of the gaps in the current system and the urgent need for change.

Urbis commends the Victorian Government for its commitment to listening to women’s experiences and for taking meaningful steps to improve patient care.

We are proud to have contributed to this significant inquiry and look forward to seeing its recommendations drive positive change in pain management and women’s health across Victoria.