Abortion: Children and Young People

(asked on 19th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken recent steps to improve the coordination between medical professionals on the provision of medical care before early medical abortions for children and young people aged between 13 and 17.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 9th January 2023

The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission, Royal Colleges and abortion providers to ensure that children and young people have consistent and high-quality care before and after abortion services, including early medical abortion services.

National safeguarding guidance published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) enables providers to continue to embed safeguarding principles for those aged 18 years old and under accessing early medical abortion services and supports the need for effective co-ordination between clinicians providing medical care.

We will set out expectations around implementation of the RCPCH guidance, including timeframes, in due course.

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