On March 30th, 2020, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care approved a pregnant woman’s home as a class of place where the treatment for termination of pregnancy may be carried out. This approval enabled the implementation of a fully remote telemedicine service in which a woman no longer needs to make a clinic visit as part of the ToP process.
Prior to this approval, it was necessary for a woman’s eligibility for early medical abortion at-home to be assessed professionally by an authorised service provider during a clinic visit; this assessment routinely included the use of an ultrasound scan to confirm the gestational age of the pregnancy.
The approval of a woman’s home and the associated implementation of a fully remote telemedicine process mean that the assessment of GA is now solely dependent upon the woman’s accurate and honest recall of the first day of their last period and self-assessment of her medical history.
My witness statements raised concerns about certain aspects of regulatory compliance, clinical safety, and the quality of care impacted by this approval.
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Percuity 