Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the provision of pills for home abortions is controlled to prevent those pills from being (a) supplied for sale and (b) to people who are in the later stages of an abortion and for whom the pills are not suitable.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals called ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The guidance includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. This includes detailed questions to identify gestational age.
The best way to assure the safety of medicines is for the clinic to supply medicines obtained through the regulated supply chain, appropriately labelled for individual patients to be safely used only by those patients. The pills are only supplied following a robust consultation.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation and the statement in that consultation that for terminations in 2019 where the second early medical abortion pill was administered at home, complications may be less likely to be recorded on the abortion notification form, whether (a) those complications are reported by other means and (b) his Department has plans to review the process for reporting abortion complications to ensure that data is collected for complications not reported on the abortion notification form.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently no process in place for additional complications to be recorded on HSA4 forms after submission of the form. The Department is undertaking a project to review the system of recording abortion complications data and we anticipate this work will be completed later this year. The review will cover all data on complications arising from abortion including timing of reporting.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people using fake names cannot acquire access to early medical abortion pills at home.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Eligibility for National Health Service funded abortions is determined by providers during the consultation process, including whether verification of identity of the individual is needed.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of permitting both pills for early medical abortions to be taken at home on NHS services.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women has now closed. We are considering all evidence submitted and plan to publish our response later this year.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will publish its response to its consultation on the home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks' gestation.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The consultation has now closed. We are considering all evidence submitted and plan to publish our response later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made and what data has been collected on the number of women who have taken early medical abortion pills at home who are not registered with the National Health Service.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of abortions for women who have taken early medical abortion pills at home, who are not registered with the National Health Service.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have received early medical abortion pills by post after the legal limit of nine weeks and six days.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
HSA4 Abortion Notification Forms received by the Department show that of the 117,584 abortions where one or both medications were taken at home in 2020, 26 were taken at 10 weeks gestation or later.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of women hospitalised as a result of using early medical abortion pills at home.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this information centrally.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which external organisations his Department is working with and in what capacity, to assess the efficacy of continuing the practice of early medical abortions by post; which of those organisations have a financial interest in providing abortion services; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government committed to undertake a public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women. The consultation has now closed and we will be considering all evidence submitted and plan to publish our response later this year.
An external company is contracted by the Department to undertake independent analysis of consultation responses. They are supporting the impartial analysis of responses to the consultation on the temporary approval.
Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to collect data on the number of women presenting in clinical settings as a result of complications arising from (a) incomplete procedures and (b) retained products of conception following an early medical abortion at home; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is undertaking a project to review the system of recording abortion complications and we anticipate this work will be completed later this year. The review will cover all data on complications arising from abortion.