BPAS - Birmingham Central

Updated 4 November 2022

BPAS Birmingham Central is operated by British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS). The service provides a termination of pregnancy service in Birmingham.

The service is provided from a building leased by the service. The service provides termination of pregnancy as a single speciality service. BPAS Birmingham Central offers consultation, medical assessment/scanning, early medical abortion, medical termination of pregnancy and counselling through counsellors not on site. Treatment options are determined by the gestation of pregnancy and patient choice. As part of the care pathway, clients are offered sexual health screening and contraception. The service does not provide surgical termination of pregnancy and therefore we have not reported on this. However, if patients presented with later gestation, they were referred to another clinic that provided surgical termination of pregnancy.

The service also operates a TeleMedical Hub, which is a remote/digital early medical abortion services referred to as ‘Pills by Post’. This service is available for clients of all ages and for medical termination of pregnancy up to nine weeks and six days. Young clients aged 16 and under were required to have a scan to access this service. For young clients aged between 17 years and 18 years the provider has a scan algorithm which establishes if the client is suitable for pills by post.

The service is registered to provide the following regulated activities:

• Termination of Pregnancy

• Family Planning Service

• Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury

• Diagnostic Imaging Services

Under these activities the service provided:

• Pregnancy Testing

• Unplanned Pregnancy Counselling

• Early Medical Abortion (EMA) (up to 9 weeks and 6 days gestation)

• Medical termination of pregnancy (MToP)

• Abortion Aftercare

• Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing and treatment

• Contraceptive advice and supply

The government legalised / approved the home-use of Misoprostol in England from 1 January 2019. On 30 March 2020, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made two temporary measures that superseded this previous approval. These temporary arrangements were aimed at minimising the risk of transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) and ensuring continued access to early medical abortion services during the COVID-19 global outbreak. The temporary arrangement meant that pregnant women would be able to take both Mifepristone and Misoprostol for early medical abortion, up to 9 week and 6 days gestation, in their own homes without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic.

It is possible for a medical practitioner to provide a remote consultation and or prescribe medication for an early medical abortion (EMA) to women in their own home rather than travelling into a clinic or hospital. On 30 March 2022, this arrangement was made permanent.

Activity

In the 12 months prior to our inspection from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, the service completed 8,042 EMA abortions by telemedicine (remote consultation and supply of abortifacient medicines to take at home) and 1,444 EMA abortions at Birmingham Central. There were 139 EMA abortions for clients under 18 years of age.

The service was last inspected in July 2019.The inspection highlighted two areas where the provider needed to make improvements. These included ensuring client files contained completed VTE risk assessments and consolidating records to either paper-based or electronic. NICE guidance says all surgical patients and medical patients with severely reduced mobility should be assessed for their risk of developing VTE. During this inspection we found the service was no longer providing surgical abortion or vasectomies so VTE assessments are not routinely required. Records have been consolidated and electronic records were used.

Updated 4 November 2022

Our rating of this location stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for clients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect clients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to clients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided good care and treatment and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of clients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to clients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of clients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of clients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with clients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.

Updated 4 November 2022

Our rating of this location stayed the same. We rated it as good because:

• The service had enough staff to care for clients and keep them safe. Staff had training in key skills, understood how to protect clients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. Staff assessed risks to clients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed medicines well. The service managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• Staff provided good care and treatment and gave them pain relief when they needed it. Managers monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure staff were competent. Staff worked well together for the benefit of clients, advised them on how to lead healthier lives, supported them to make decisions about their care, and had access to good information. Key services were available seven days a week.
• Staff treated clients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their conditions. They provided emotional support to clients, families and carers.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of clients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• Leaders ran services well using reliable information systems and supported staff to develop their skills. Staff understood the service’s vision and values, and how to apply them in their work. Staff felt respected, supported and valued. They were focused on the needs of clients receiving care. Staff were clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with clients and the community to plan and manage services and all staff were committed to improving services continually.