Free tampons, sanitary pads, towels and liners are to be offered to patients at hospitals across England for the first time, in a bid to ease care and combat period poverty.

Following renewed lobbying by the British Medical Association (BMA) last month, NHS England has announced that all women and girls being cared for by the health service will be able to ask for sanitary products free of charge from the summer.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said it was “absolutely right” that everyone had access to the essentials of daily life while in hospital. “It’s fundamental that we give patients the best experience possible during what can be a stressful time of their life, and by providing sanitary products the NHS can prevent unnecessary embarrassment and leave people to focus on their recovery,” Stevens said. In a motion first proposed last year by medical student Eleanor Wilson, from Glasgow, the BMA voted overwhelmingly in favour of free tampons to be provided by the state. Wilson argued that “access to sanitary products is a basic human right for all” and asked the BMA to consider that as “we do not ask patients to bring in toilet paper or food, why are we asking them to bring in their own sanitary products?”

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As well as offering reassurance to anyone needing urgent care unexpectedly, the new mandated policy will help those who are in hospital on longterm stays, including mental health patients, NHS England said.

Dame Parveen Kumar, chairwoman of the BMA’s board of science, welcomed the move, which she said will come as a relief for many women.

She said BMA research had shown how “patchy or non-existent” the provision was as well as the “relatively small cost” of providing tampons and pads free of charge. Kumar added: “We are pleased that our work with NHS England has culminated in such a successful result, bringing an end to indignity on top of ill health.”

The announcement was welcomed by the charity Freedom4Girls, which campaigns against period poverty. A survey published in February revealed that more than a quarter of women and girls have missed work or school because of period poverty.

Tina Leslie, the founder of Freedom4Girls, said: “This is a great initiative and is a fantastic step forward. NHS England have stepped up to the mark.”