We have published a new report outlining findings from an FOI investigation in which we requested data related to the diagnosis of abortion complications, from all NHS Hospital Trusts in England.
Key Points
- The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (part of the Department of Health and Social Care) published a one-off report in November 2023 using data from the Hospital Episode Statistics that showed an abortion complications rate of 18.2 per 1,000, twelve times more than that previously reported by abortion providers in the Abortion Notification System.
- However, the OHID report did not include the ICD-10 code ‘O044: medical abortion – incomplete, without complication’. This is significant because there are 1.4 times more complications coded using O044 as there are using all other relevant codes.
- Using Freedom of Information, we obtained data from NHS Trusts in England for the last seven years, analysis of which shows that the average rate of complications being treated at NHS hospitals is 45.4 per 1,000 abortions, compared to the 1.5 being reported by abortion providers in ANS.
- These FOI responses extend the OHID report (November 2023), which covered 2017 to 2021, by a further two years, 2022 and 2023.
- In 2022, the official statutory reporting by the abortion providers (ANS), stated just 300 women with abortion complications, about 3% of the 10,409 reported by NHS hospitals.
- Abortion complications data are readily available in Hospital Episode Statistics and should be included in the official annual reporting of abortion statistics by the OHID.
The full report, with links to the FOI responses, can be accessed here.
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