The following table shows the number of abortion clinics which have never been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as well as the number of clinics which have not been inspected in the past three years:

Source: Care Quality Commission

There are four NUPAS clinics that do not have any rating. This is because these were registered in the last 12 months.

There are three MSI Reproductive Choices clinics that do not have a rating. Two of these clinics do not have a rating because they were registered in the last 12 months. One of these clinics was registered nearly two years ago but has not yet had an inspection. This is because the transition to the Single Assessment Framework (SAF) has delayed inspection in some cases.

Under Section 46 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the CQC must update the health and social care sectors as to how frequently they will assess the providers they regulate. The CQC plans to publish an interim statement in August 2024 about how frequently they plan to assess each type of service.

No assessment has been made of the implications for policies on the provision of abortion pills to a woman beyond the legal time limit for abortion.

The law on abortion and required standards of medical care are clear. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure that abortions in England are performed in accordance with the Abortion Act 1967.

There are no plans to review Section 3(D) of the Abortion Act 1967. Parliament decided the circumstances under which abortion can legally be undertaken. It would be for Parliament to decide whether to make any changes to the law on abortion. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance and allows hon. Members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Bournemouth in June 2022, rating the service ‘Requires Improvement’ for several reasons, including risks to patient safety and governance. In February 2023, CQC conducted a focused follow-up inspection to check on improvements, particularly those highlighted in the Section 29 warning notice, issued as part of the 2022 inspection, as requiring significant improvement. CQC also reviewed progress where breaches of regulation were identified. They found that systems and processes had improved and that the service was making progress against their action plan where breaches of regulation were identified.

CQC continues to monitor the service closely, working with system partners where concerns are identified. Departmental officials also have regular meetings with the CQC to ensure women continue to receive a safe and high-quality abortion service. CQC has a range of enforcement powers which it uses on a proportional basis to keep people using services safe. This includes the ability to close services in the most serious of cases. The following table shows BPAS clinics’ ratings within the last 12 months.

During the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) most recent inspection of BPAS Merseyside, it found that the service uses one universal tool for all people using the service, rather than a specific paediatric early warning score to assess young people. Following the inspection, BPAS is reviewing the process for the escalation of deterioration in the condition of young people and has issued a statement on a review of tools and current guidance. The CQC does not have evidence that young people under the age of 18 years old have been harmed as a result. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recently published new safeguarding guidance for all under 18 year olds accessing early medical abortion services.

The information requested is not held centrally. Contracting and funding abortion services and assurance of spend is a matter for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). It is for CCGs to take appropriate steps to ensure the costs of abortion services provided through the National Health Service by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service are an accurate reflection of the costs involved.

I am extremely grateful to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service for stepping in at a crucial moment to provide women and girls with a temporary interim service. However, I am disappointed it had to get to that stage.

I will continue to monitor the new services provided by BPAS and I am determined that women and girls receive at least the same level of service as under the previous provider while this interim service is in place. I recognise that this is not a permanent solution, and that more needs to be done. It is for this reason that in July, I issued a Direction to the Department of Health and First and deputy First Minister to commission and make abortion services available by no later than 31 March 2022.

The Government recognises the importance of consulting with experts, counselling and other support services to support women and girls in accessing services and making individual decisions on these matters. I would like to put on record my thanks to Informing Choices NI for providing a central access point from April 2020 to September 2021, until they were forced to withdraw some services as a direct result of inaction from the Department of Health.

The Northern Ireland Office will continue to work closely with the Department of Health in taking forward implementation of this important devolved issue.

The Government funds the Central Booking Service, which is managed by British Pregnancy Advisory Service for access to services under the Abortion Act 1967 in England only.

Health is devolved matter and abortions in Northern Ireland follow the regulations that apply there. Service provision in Northern Ireland, in line with the regulations, is a matter for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

This information is not collected centrally.

This information is not collected centrally.

The concerns raised in the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) 2017 inspection report of British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Merseyside are being addressed locally. The CQC has been reassured that BPAS has addressed a range of concerns identified in the report, including implementation of agreed standards with commissioners and providers who are monitoring service delivery. The CQC is due to re-inspect BPAS Merseyside later in 2019.

Information on reports of serious incidents at British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinics and the number of women transferred to National Health Service trusts for emergency care after attending a British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic is not reported to the Department. Serious incident notifications are sent to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is responsible for ensuring that requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 are met by the providers of termination of pregnancy services including meeting the fundamental standards of quality and safety as set out in Part 3 to the 2014 Regulations, and Regulation 20 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, which is specific to independent sector termination of pregnancy providers.

In addition, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power to approve independent sector providers to perform termination of pregnancy. All approved clinics must agree to comply with the Secretary of State’s requirements in the form of Required Standard Operating Principles.

The CQC inspection report of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Merseyside identified a number of areas of concern regarding all areas of operation at the service. These concerns were addressed locally through a joint action plan between BPAS Merseyside, the CQC and Halton Clinical Commissioning Group. The CQC monitors the action plan through ongoing engagement with BPAS Merseyside.

Information on reports of serious incidents at British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinics and the number of women transferred to National Health Service trusts for emergency care after attending a British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic is not reported to the Department. Serious incident notifications are sent to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is responsible for ensuring that requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 are met by the providers of termination of pregnancy services including meeting the fundamental standards of quality and safety as set out in Part 3 to the 2014 Regulations, and Regulation 20 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, which is specific to independent sector termination of pregnancy providers.

In addition, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power to approve independent sector providers to perform termination of pregnancy. All approved clinics must agree to comply with the Secretary of State’s requirements in the form of Required Standard Operating Principles.

The CQC inspection report of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Merseyside identified a number of areas of concern regarding all areas of operation at the service. These concerns were addressed locally through a joint action plan between BPAS Merseyside, the CQC and Halton Clinical Commissioning Group. The CQC monitors the action plan through ongoing engagement with BPAS Merseyside.

Information on reports of serious incidents at British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinics and the number of women transferred to National Health Service trusts for emergency care after attending a British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic is not reported to the Department. Serious incident notifications are sent to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is responsible for ensuring that requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 are met by the providers of termination of pregnancy services including meeting the fundamental standards of quality and safety as set out in Part 3 to the 2014 Regulations, and Regulation 20 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, which is specific to independent sector termination of pregnancy providers.

In addition, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power to approve independent sector providers to perform termination of pregnancy. All approved clinics must agree to comply with the Secretary of State’s requirements in the form of Required Standard Operating Principles.

The CQC inspection report of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Merseyside identified a number of areas of concern regarding all areas of operation at the service. These concerns were addressed locally through a joint action plan between BPAS Merseyside, the CQC and Halton Clinical Commissioning Group. The CQC monitors the action plan through ongoing engagement with BPAS Merseyside.

The number of abortions by Marie Stopes International (MSI) and British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) in England and Wales from 2007 to 2017 is shown in the following table:

Note:

*Figures for 2012 have been estimated due to missing clinic information.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley on the 19th March 2018, UIN 132535.

Since publication of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report into the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) Merseyside clinic, BPAS Merseyside, the CQC and Halton Clinical Commissioning Group have developed a local action plan to address the concerns identified. The CQC is monitoring implementation of the action plan through ongoing engagement with BPAS Merseyside.

All independent sector clinics wishing to perform termination of pregnancy, including clinics run by BPAS, must be approved by the Secretary of State for Health and registered with the CQC to undertake that regulated activity. Once registered, the CQC monitors a provider’s compliance with the relevant requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and regulations made under that Act.

Failure to comply with the requirements of the Abortion Act 1967 (and associated regulations), the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (and associated regulations) and/or the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures for independent sector abortion providers may lead to withdrawal of Secretary of State’s approval. The Reviewed Standard Operating Procedures can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/313443/final_updated_RSOPs_21_May_2014.pdf

The CQC may also take independent enforcement action under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 which includes the power to suspend or cancel registration and pursue prosecution.

Following the inspection, a joint action plan between the Care Quality Commission (CQC), BPAS Merseyside, and Halton Clinical Commissioning Group was formulated to ensure all issues raised during the inspection were fully addressed. The CQC is monitoring the action plan through ongoing engagement with BPAS Merseyside. Overall, the CQC has found that improvements continue to be made at BPAS Merseyside both from a clinical and a governance perspective.

The information requested is set out in the following tables:

Number of abortions by provider for England and Wales residents: 2011 to 2016

Note:

¹ Figures for 2012 have been estimated, due to missing clinic information.

Number of abortions with complications by provider for England and Wales residents: 2015 to 2016

Note:

¹ Complications include: haemorrhage, uterine perforation and/or sepsis and are those reported up to the time of discharge from the place of termination.