Long waiting times for abortion persist

Women are having to wait up to seven weeks for an abortion in some parts of the country, reports the BBC. 

One west London GP told the BBC’s World At One programme some of his patients had to wait until they were 15 weeks pregnant before having an abortion.

The Department of Health wants 70% of all terminations to be carried out under 10 weeks gestation. According to its latest figures - from 2005 - the majority of abortions did take place within this time limit. But the data revealed large regional discrepancies, with the worst performing PCTs carrying out only just over a third of terminations within 10 weeks.

Julie Douglas, of Marie Stopes International, which carries out abortions for the NHS, said the situation had improved - but that there are ‘a number of PCTs that are really not meeting national standards.’

Dr Michael Dixon, chairman of the NHS Alliance, which represents primary care trusts (PCTs), said six to seven week waits for an abortion were ‘absolutely unacceptable.’ The government has set a target of a maximum three week wait. He said most PCTs were performing well, but there were pockets which had problems.

‘What I think is happening is that PCTs have contracted for a given number of terminations to be done, and it seems that more terminations are being requested by local GPs than expected,’ he said. ‘Clearly the answer is for those PCTs to increase the number of terminations they are going to pay for. That will cost them money, but that is money that they need to spend.’

The Department of Health said it was up to PCTs to organise local abortion services, but said it had invested £8million to help them achieve the three-week target.

Seven week wait for NHS abortion, BBC News, Monday, 22 January 2007