BPAS - Birmingham Central

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected their privacy and dignity. They treated them as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. Staff responded to people in a timely way. The service supported staff wellbeing.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people felt well-supported, cared for and treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The women we spoke with described staff as, “really kind”, “really supportive” and “nice”. They told us they found staff, “easy to talk to” and “they make you feel comfortable”.

There were posters in the waiting areas highlighting the chaperone service and advising how to request a chaperone. Chaperones were used to help maintain a person’s dignity during scans and intimate procedures and could provide emotional support and reassurance.

Staff spent time listening to women and let them know they understood them, including their preferences, wishes, personal histories, and backgrounds. During one call we heard the Nurse and Midwife Practitioner (NMP) take time to explain why a woman’s child was likely to have been initially unresponsive following a traumatic birth. This helped reassure the woman about an historic event that was still troubling her.

Staff remained non-judgemental; for example, when women presented false information to gain a termination of pregnancy. Staff understood there might be many reasons for women to do this, and they were careful not to judge them.

The client satisfaction report from January to March 2025 showed that 100% of women who were seen in the clinic felt they were given enough privacy.

Staff told us they did as much as they could to support women using the service. For example, staff stayed late to support women when required. When asked what they were most proud of, one member of staff said, “the care we provide for women.”

Staff told us their focus was always “the clients, making sure they get first-class treatment to meet their timeframes.” and “making sure women get a timely service and the support they need.”

Staff listened to women and communicated with them appropriately, in a way they could understand. We heard staff being reassuring and kind and asking questions without judgement. At the end of one call we heard the women tell the NMP, “Thank you, you really have helped me. I don’t feel as bad about this now.”

Following their treatment, staff sent women a link to share their comments and concerns about the service. A comment from February 2025 read, “I was completely satisfied. I felt extremely comfortable and safe. All of the staff I spoke to were fantastic.”

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. Staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Women’s individual needs and preferences were understood, and these were reflected in their care, treatment and support. For example, women were offered appointments at a time to suit them. Women were offered different treatment options to reflect their gestation of pregnancy.

Women’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood. As part of the assessment process staff asked women about their cultural, social, and religious needs so these could be reflected in their care plan. For example, being assessed and treated by women only NMPs. Staff acknowledged and respected diversity. To ensure treatment was equitable they made reasonable adjustments to accommodate individual need. For example, leaflets were available in easy read formats, and the building had a lift so some women who used a wheelchair could access the building. An assessment of access needs took place at the point of booking and wheelchair users who required a ramp or who were not able to mobilise were offered an appointment at an alternative location.

Women’s communication needs were met to enable them to fully engage in their care, treatment and support to maximise their experience and outcomes. For example, British Sign Language interpreters were used for women who needed them.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

We heard NMPs talking to women about a range of different treatment options, including medical and surgical abortions. These also included non-treatment options including adoption and choosing to go ahead with the pregnancy. A member of staff told us, “Providing care locally to them is giving women the knowledge and skills to be in control and make the choices that are right for them.”

If women were considering adoption as an alternative to termination treatment, NMPs were able to send them information about adoption. They could also offer a referral to a counselling service and make a referral to a social care team to support the woman through the adoption process.

Women were in control of planning their care and support. If they wanted to be supported by a partner, friend, or relative, staff made sure they were involved.

People using the service were able to choose their appointment time and date. The client satisfaction report showed that between January and March 2025, 96% of women were able to arrange their appointment within a timeframe suitable for them. One hundred percent of women who had an appointment in the clinic said their appointment took place on time, with 98% of women who had a telephone consultation confirming the nurse or midwife called within the planned timeframe.

The client satisfaction report also showed that 100% of women seen in the clinic and 99.1% of women who accessed treatment through the telemedical hub said they felt involved in their treatment decisions, that clear explanations were provided about treatment options and enough time was given for them to ask questions. Patient feedback about the telemedical hub from February 2025 included the following statement, “I think everything was perfect. Every single person I spoke with over the phone was always very supportive and kind. Also, I felt that I was being really listened to and was given the chance to ask any questions. Everyone was so lovely! Thank you so much.”

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff recognised that many women would benefit from ongoing counselling and ensured this was offered to all women who attended the service. Staff explained that women could access this service when they needed it.

Staff responded quickly to the immediate needs of women, whether this was clinical emergencies or emotional distress. Staff received training to help them support women with molar pregnancy, fetal anomaly, and pregnancy longer in gestation than expected. For example, staff had specialist training to help them support women to understand molar pregnancies and fetal abnormalities. Staff received scenario training to help them manage unexpected situations and hold difficult conversations as part of their regular staff development days. Staff spoke to us about conversations they had managed. These included when women had been frustrated because their gestation of pregnancy was longer than expected which meant they were not suitable for a medical termination and their frustration turned to anger.

The service always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they worked in a supportive environment in which they “look after each other”. Some staff were trained professional midwife advocates (PMAs) or professional nurse advocates (PNAs). PMAs and PNAs receive training to enable them to provide support for colleagues and foster a positive work environment. They provide a safe space for reflection, personal resilience building, and professional development. PMAs and PNAs can identify colleagues who might benefit from extra support and signpost them to appropriate support services.

Staff could access support during and after dealing with a difficult situation. Staff in the clinic and telemedical hub could access support from senior members of the team, including the safeguarding lead, through a computerised direct messaging platform throughout their consultations. Following an appointment they could access senior staff, including managers, for support when needed.

Staff who worked remotely were able to contact their team leaders through the direct messaging platform at any point during their day. They had a shared chat facility for safeguarding concerns overseen by the safeguarding lead, and a separate chat for all other concerns overseen by the leads. Staff could also seek support for work related, and non-work related, issues through the employee assistance service. The employee assistance service was an independent service that could offer one to one counselling support for staff.

Managers met regularly with team leaders. Team leaders met with NMPs a minimum of once a month to perform a wellbeing check. These meetings could be held remotely or face to face. NMPS also attended face to face staff meetings 4 times a year.

Staff had access to a menopause support group. This was an informal group that provided mutual support about managing symptoms of the menopause for each other. Staff fed back to managers they found the support from this group valuable, so it was rolled out across the organisation.

Staff were given access to a range of services designed to promote their health and wellbeing. These included a discounted gym membership, access to a counselling service, access to virtual GP appointments, a will writing service, financial advice, subsidised private health care treatment and discounted life assurance.