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Written question asked by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 June 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 26 June 2009. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Thursday, 2 July 2009 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Abortion: Health Services

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much medical services assigned to the termination of pregnancies under the Abortion Act 1967 cost the NHS in each of the last five years; and what estimate has been made of the cost of such services in 2009-10.
Answer

The following table shows the total cost of medical and surgical termination of pregnancies undertaken by national health service organisations between 2003-04 and 2007-08, the latest five years for which information is available.

Cost of abortions 2003-04 to 2007-08
Total cost of abortions undertaken by NHS organisations (£ million)
2003-04 69.4
2004-05 76.4
2005-06 81.1
2006-07 83.5
2007-08 84.1
Notes:
1. Figures taken from schedule 4 (NHS trusts and primary care trusts combined) of the national schedules of reference costs for the financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08.
2. Figures do not include abortions performed by private sector organisations under contract to the NHS.
3. Figures include day cases, electives (including excess bed days), non-electives (including excess bed days), out-patient procedures and regular day and night admissions.
4. Total costs are the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) multiplied by the national average unit cost and the number of excess bed days multiplied by the national average unit cost.
5. National average unit costs are calculated on a weighted basis.
6. 2003-04 to 2005-06 costs were collected on Healthcare Resource Group version 3.5 (HRG3.5) and include:
(a) M09—Threatened or Spontaneous Abortion
(b) M10—Surgical Termination of Pregnancy
(c) M11—Medical Termination of Pregnancy
7. 2006-07 and 2007-08 costs were collected on HRG4 and include:
(a) MA15A—Vacuum Aspiration with Rigid Cannula for nine weeks gestation or more
(b) MA15B—Vacuum aspiration with Rigid Cannula for less than nine weeks gestation
(c) MA16Z—Vacuum Aspiration with Flexible Cannula
(d) MA17A—Dilation and evacuation 20 weeks or more
(e) MA17B—Dilation and evacuation less than 20 weeks
(f) MA18Z—Medical Termination of Pregnancy

No estimate has been made for the cost of NHS abortions in 2009-10.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
495 c386-7W; 282732
Session
2008-09
Subjects
Abortion
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk