Women forced to cross border for abortions as 'only one Scots surgeon trained'

A doctor has claimed there is only one doctor trained in surgical abortions in Scotland - driving women to go over the border to terminate pregnancies.

Dr Ed Dorman believes the medic is the only doctor who has been trained to perform an abortion via the minor operation. Scottish doctors are unable to train for surgical care in Scotland and have to travel to England to do so.

This means later term abortions in Scotland, up to the legal limit, are terminated with a medical pill. The pill creates a labour-like experience for women 13 weeks and over into a pregnancy - which can often cause prolonged discomfort.

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Because of this, rates of women travelling across the border into England to get a surgical abortion has hit a record high.

Ed Dorman, co-chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists abortion task force, said: "It's a crazy situation where if Scottish doctors want to train they would have to travel to England as one doctor from Edinburgh has done.

"I think there's only one doctor in Scotland who has completed the training. I don't think any of the older doctors have done this training for many years so they couldn't really say that they are competent."

The legal limit for an abortion in the UK is 24 weeks but due to a lack of provision in Scotland all abortion care is limited to 20 weeks.

Women who want to access care after this have to go to England. So far this year 57 women have travelled down south - up on 50 the previous year.

Dr Dorman said his biggest concern across the UK is the lack of NHS staff who are able to carry out a late surgical abortion procedure.

He said: "What happens in hospitals in England, never mind in Scotland, is that obstetricians and gynaecologists have largely lost the skills to do uterine evacuation which is what we are talking about with later surgical abortions.

"This means women end up really sick and there have been maternal deaths."

Dr Dorman works as a surgeon at a BPAS clinic in London, and sees at least one Scottish woman for abortion care every two weeks - and most receive surgical abortions.

He believes this care should be made available in Scotland to ensure women have autonomy when it comes to their healthcare.

According to NICE (National Institute of Care Excellence ) guidelines women should be offered a choice of method of abortion up to the 24 week limit.

Dr Dorman said: "It gives women a choice of something other than late, horrendous, prolonged and difficult medically induced abortions.

"They would prefer to avoid the more than 24 hours of a potentially traumatic experience of having to labour and deliver a later gestation foetus."

There has been a change in attitude towards surgical abortions in the last few years - 91% of women now opt for the surgical route, he said.

Dr Dorman said the reason is likely down to not needing to "endure the emotional trauma of labouring and delivering a dead baby" and studies suggesting it is safer between 14 and 24 weeks.

Dr Dorman says it is up to authorities across the UK to deliver surgical care and even suggested there should be a "a threat of penalties" for hospitals "who are dragging their feet".

Lucy Grieve, who co-founded the campaign group Back Off Scotland which prevented anti-abortion protestors from being within a 200 metre radius of a hospital agrees.

She said: "These women at the moment can't access care they should be legally entitled to and they should have the choice between medical and surgical.

"This is a cornerstone of women's rights and I can't for the life of me understand why more isn't being done to establish a surgical service. I'm scared about possible ramifications of continuing to not provide surgical care. I'm scared for women's safety.

"Women in Scotland who are ending a pregnancy because of a foetal abnormality or foetal anomaly diagnosis have to go through this experience.

"It can't be right that from a government that claims to care so much about a women's right to choose that this is the only option."

She does praise some changes in abortion care in Scotland - including the introduction of telemedical appointments for women in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

It means - where eligible - abortion medication can be posted to a women's address. The Scottish Government has said the NHS National Services Scotland has done "significant work" to consider the available delivery options for abortion care, and a short-life working group has been established to consider these options with NHS Boards.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: "Patient safety is always our highest priority, and I completely understand concerns raised by women forced to travel to access abortion services. That is why, we are working with NHS Boards and other key stakeholders to support women having later stage abortions in Scotland.

"The Scottish Government expects the Boards to meet the Healthcare Improvement Scotland's standards relating to abortion as a minimum.

"This means where an NHS Board cannot offer abortion services locally, they must provide an appropriate and person-centred care pathway for patients and support patients with travel and accommodation costs covered if patients do need to travel to England for treatment."

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