BPAS - Merseyside

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• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

This means we looked for evidence that the service met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the changed to good.

Good: This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

We found women were involved in decisions about their care. Women and communities were always at the centre of how care was planned and delivered. Women knew how to give feedback and were confident the service took it seriously and acted on it. The service was easy to access and worked to eliminate discrimination. Women received fair and equal care and treatment. The service worked to reduce health inequalities through training and feedback. Women were involved in planning their care and understood options around choosing not to received treatment.

We have not awarded this service a score for Responsive.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Responsive.

We scored the service as 3. The service made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Women’s care reflected their physical, mental, emotional and social needs, including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act. For example, longer appointment times were offered to those who needed them.

The service had access to interpreters to support women attending their appointments.

Women could request to sit in a quieter waiting room to reduce anxiety and sensory overload. There was a dedicated room for women who were choosing a termination due to foetal abnormality. When not in use this could be used for neurodiverse women as a private space.

We saw person centred interactions between staff and women attending the clinic.

Pregnancy remains were stored appropriately and disposed of sensitively and complied with the Human Tissue Authority (HTS) Code of Practice (April 2017). If patients wished to dispose of the own pregnancy remains according to their beliefs, we heard staff supported them to do so and the remains were stored until that time came.

We scored the service as 3. The service understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Women’s care and treatment was delivered in a way that meet their assessed needs. Face to face appointments were booked for 70 minutes to allow for the consultation appointment and additional tests which might be required, such as blood test, height and weight. Scan appointments were 40 minutes. There were longer appointments available for young people and those who required an interpreter. Young people were given a longer assessment appointment to ensure a thorough assessment of their understanding of abortion treatment could be made. The longer appointment was also used to get a clear picture of any potential safeguarding issues. Appointment slots of 90 minutes were also reserved for people who required an interpreter as more time was needed for the interpretation process.

Staff told us there was flexibility in the service provision of consultations and treatments as they worked alongside other BPAS locations. If an appointment was not available within the required time frame, determined by gestation and form of treatment, then an appointment would be offered at an alternative BPAS location.

There were service level agreements in place with local NHS trusts where patients could be transferred in the event of an emergency. Staff described good working relationships with NHS trust staff.

We scored the service as 3. The service supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

The service provided online and written information about the services they offered including abortion treatment, screening for sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. Written information was also available in easy read format. The information provided also explained the risks involved in treatment and what to do if something did not feel right or in case of an emergency.

There were videos on the organisation website that talked through what the service offered as well as step-by-step instructions for using abortion treatment at home, and information about surgical treatment. The step-by-step instructions included what the pack of medication looked like, how to use the medication, the use of pain relief, and what to expect during and after treatment. All the web-based videos had closed captions, and some had British Sign Language interpretation.

Information governance systems included confidentiality of patient records. All medical terminations records were completed via an electronic system, and computers were password protected.

Surgical records were paper-based and were stored securely in a locked cupboard. Staff ensured carers and partners were supported by answering questions and updating them about the patient's progress following a surgical abortion.

We scored the service as 3. The service made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. They involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

The service received a total of 60 informal complaints and 4 formal complaints between 1 January 2024 and 16 September 2025 (18 months). Themes raised included waiting times on the day; facilities; clinical issues; information/communication issues; appointment choice, clinic location, treatment choice, privacy and medication. Actions were taken to address each of the issues raised. The main theme of the formal complaints was poor communication between the clinician and women. The Quality Matrons worked with the clinicians to improve communication and record keeping and this was audited as part of the monthly quality service review.

The service received positive feedback during the period of 1 January 2024 and July 2025. Some of the comments received were “My nurse was so lovely and made the very tough experience very comfortable and easy”, “Can’t thank the staff enough for making me feel comfortable, I felt no judgement from anyone, everyone was caring and the staff were very professional, for such an upsetting experience to go through I couldn’t of asked for the process to have gone any smoother.”

Staff knew how to handle complaints and complaints were investigated to identify improvements and learning.

Following treatment women were asked to complete a satisfaction survey. Managers reviewed feedback for themes and trends which were shared with staff. Patient feedback was positive especially for support and care during a difficult time.

Quality improvement projects were identified. For example, waiting times on the day for surgical list. Women’s appointments were booked for the morning of the day and waiting times varied depending on the list. The service had trialled morning and afternoon appointments to reduce the waiting times.

We scored the service as 4. The service made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The provider complied with legal equity and human rights requirements, including avoiding discrimination, considering the need of women with different protected characteristics and making reasonable adjustments which resulted in equal access to care, treatment and support for women.

The service was designed to make it accessible for women who were most likely to have difficulty accessing care. Information about how to access the service was displayed on the organisations website. The website had a facility which meant it could be translated into 60 of the most commonly spoken languages in the United Kingdom. The website also had functions to enable users with vision impairment to use assistive technology, including a text only version of the website.

Access to treatment was delivered in line with national guidance, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist. The guidance recommended assessment for abortion should be assessed within 7 days of making contact with the abortion service. Completion of abortion treatment should take place within 14 days of the initial contact for most women.

Initial appointments were booked by the BPAS booking and information centre, which was the first point of contact for most women. A choice of either a telephone consultation (provided by a national telemedical hub) or an in-person consultation was offered, subject to availability.

Leaders told us there was a national shortage of specialist surgeons and it was difficult to cover when a surgeon was absent. The service was looking at ways to address this. If an appointment within the 7-day guidelines was not available at the service, then an appointment would be offered an alternative BPAS location.

The service monitored wait times and non-attendance rates. Most women were seen within 7 days of booking. Those who were outside the recommended time frames were due to patient choice.

There were several waiting areas to ensure patient flow and to promote people’s anonymity and confidentiality. There was enough space to enable people to bring their partner, a friend, or family member to their appointment.

We scored the service as 3. Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

The service had processes to support women’s equity in experience. Staff received training in equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights.

Staff worked in partnership with other agencies to improve equity and access in outcomes. This included collaborating with local hospitals to review care pathways between the services.

The regional team and registered manager monitored capacity and demand for the service and made adjustments to add appointment slots or add in a weekend clinic if required.

The service supported women who were treated at other BPAS locations and pills by post where treatment had not been successful. When needed, women were referred to a local NHS trust for specialist management.

We scored the service as 3. Women were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future.

Women were offered counselling and given advice about sexual health screening to help them make future decisions.

Women were asked about contraception and given information and advice about contraception options taking their personal circumstances and beliefs into account.

Women were advised they could make use of the organisation's post abortion treatment counselling service at any point after the procedure.