MBRRACE-UK Signs of Life Guidance Consultation
16 December 2019
BSACP members and other interested individuals are invited to participate in a consultation regarding guidance that the MBRRACE-UK Signs of Life group have been developing for healthcare professionals. This consultation is being launched today, and details of the consultation process follow.
MBRRACE-UK Signs of Life Guidance Consultation
The MBRRACE-UK Signs of Life working group was established to develop guidance to support doctors and midwives with the assessment of signs of life for spontaneous births before 24 weeks of pregnancy where active survival-focused care is not appropriate. This guidance aims to reduce the confusion and distress experienced by parents by increasing consistency in how doctors and midwives assess signs of life in newborn babies. It also aims to increase consistency in the registration of births and deaths of these babies.
The guidance document, which is still in development, is now being released for general consultation. It has been developed by the working group in consultation with many stakeholders and we appreciate the expertise and views they have provided. We are now undertaking this consultation to seek views on the content of the draft guidance to ensure that the guidance is clear, comprehensive and useful for its intended readers.
We wish to hear from a wide range of people, including but not limited to: health professionals, government representatives, charities and organisations that work with women and parents. Please share the survey with anyone you think may be interested.
Please note we are interested in individual views but as this is a distressing and sensitive topic, particularly for those affected by the loss of a baby, we will be consulting parents through parent advocacy groups. Parents who have been affected by this issue may be interested in sharing their views but may find it upsetting and support is available from the Stillbirth and neonatal death charity, Sands: https://www.sands.org.uk/support-you
The consultation will run for a period of 12 weeks from 16 December 2019, closing on 9 March 2020. It is available at: https://leicester.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/signs-of-life
If you have any questions about the consultation, please contact Lucy Smith at lucy.smith@le.ac.uk
The MBRRACE-UK Signs of Life Working Group
Lucy K Smith
Associate Professor/NIHR Fellow
Department of Health Sciences
College of Life Sciences
University of Leicester, George Davies Centre
University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
t: +44 (0)116 252 5418
e: lucy.smith@le.ac.uk
w: www.le.ac.uk
RCOG Launches 'Better for Women' Report
3 December 2019
The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) is calling for better joined up services, as part of its ‘Better for Women’ report, published on 29 November 2019. It emphasises the need for national strategies to meet the needs of girls and women across their life course – from adolescence, to the middle years and later life.
There should also be greater focus on moving the UK away from providing a disease intervention service towards a preventative health service, says the report.
RCOG News: https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/rcog-launches-better-for-women-report/
The RCOG states that change could improve the accessibility of early medical abortion care for women. Women should be allowed to take abortion pills from the comfort of their own home and without seeing a doctor face-to-face, leading doctors have said.
In the report, the RCOG has called on the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to reconsider its guidelines regarding medical abortions.
The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/abortion-pills-home-planned-parenthood-pregnancy-termination-a9228466.html
Read the full report here: https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/news/campaigns-and-opinions/better-for-women/better-for-women-full-report.pdf
FSRH Recruiting for SSM Abortion Care Module Guardian and Deputy
28 November 2019
The Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) is recruiting for an Abortion Care Module Guardian and Deputy Module Guardian to help review and develop their Special Skills Module (SSM) Abortion Care programme. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in education/training.
These roles are an excellent opportunity to:
- Learn more about the FSRH
- Work closely with leading experts in reproductive and sexual health
- Improve the quality and availability of training and post-reproductive care for healthcare professionals across the UK
- Develop and enhance your medical education expertise to support your continuing professional development (CPD)
- Be formally acknowledged for your contribution.
More information (including role descriptions and a link for submitting your application) is available at: https://www.fsrh.org/news/abortion-care-module-guardian
The closing date for applications is 9.00am on Monday 16 December 2019.
Janie Foote
BSACP Administrator
Tel: +44 (0)1243 538106
E-mail: admin@bsacp.org.uk
Website: www.bsacp.org.uk
Abortion Law in Northern Ireland
23 October 2019
Effective from 0001 on 22 October 2019, the law on abortion in Northern Ireland has changed.
The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019 section 9 states that:
- Recommendations in the 2018 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women report are to be implemented
- Sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 are repealed
- No investigation may be carried out or criminal proceedings brought in respect of any offences under the 1861 Act
- The Secretary of State must draw up regulations by 31 March 2020.
Guidance for healthcare professionals for the 5-month interim period has been published:
- The Central Booking Service in England is on 0333 234 2184.
- All travel and, where needed, accommodation will be funded.
- If a health professional does choose to offer an abortion service to women during the interim period, they should do so in line with their professional competence and guidance from their professional body.
- A public consultation will be launched on a new legal framework to start on 1 April 2020.
Sam Rowlands (BSACP Council)
Joint BSACP/RCOG Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) Training Course, Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG), London, Thursday 6 February 2020
22 October 2019
Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) Training Course
This one-day, hands-on and theoretical training course focuses on the outpatient management of miscarriage and abortion using manual vacuum aspiration.
Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is an alternative to electric suction or dilatation and curettage for evacuation of the uterine contents. The MVA procedure is performed with a hand-operated vacuum syringe, typically under local anaesthetic, in a treatment room.
With the high safety profile of this procedure and the increasing potential for the delivery of uterine evacuation outside of theatre, there is a need to improve access to MVA in the UK. In addition to providing grounding in the MVA procedure, this course covers the equipment, staffing, analgesia and other requirements for surgical uterine evacuation in the outpatient setting.
Who Should Attend
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology ATSM/FSRH Special Skills Abortion Care trainers
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology ATSM/FSRH Special Skills Abortion Care trainees
- Experienced staff in miscarriage/abortion care keen to expand their competence/skills
Learning Objectives
By attending this course, you should be able to:
- Learn to confidently fit together and operate a MVA kit
- Gain knowledge of appropriate pain relief
- Safely undertake MVA of uterine contents in a model
- Learn to provide appropriate support for the woman and her support person
- Gain skills to develop a business case for MVA
- Meet others with experience of setting up similar services
- Make contacts for sharing guidelines and pathways
Course Organiser Dr Patricia Lohr, FACOG, London
Early booking is recommended as there are a maximum of 28 places.
Book now at: https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/departmental-catalog/Departments/training-courses/2301—manual-vacuum-aspiration—feb-2020/
Latest BSACP Webinar on 'Providing Medical Abortion Without a Screening Ultrasound' on Thursday 7 November 2019 at 6.30pm - Register Today!
14 October 2019
‘Providing Medical Abortion Without a Screening Ultrasound’ – Thursday 7 November 2019 at 6.30pm
Dr Elizabeth Raymond, MD, MPH, Gynuity Health Projects, New York, NY, USA
Abortion providers commonly require an ultrasound prior to medical abortion to confirm eligibility for the treatment. This test is costly, time-consuming and uncomfortable, and it must be performed by trained personnel using specific equipment. In this session, we will review evidence suggesting that medical abortion can be safely provided without routine screening ultrasound.
Elizabeth Raymond is a Senior Medical Associate at Gynuity Health Projects, where she conducts clinical and behavioural research focused on simplifying medical abortion procedures to increase autonomy and comfort and to reduce cost.
Webinars are a membership benefit of BSACP and are open/free of charge to members. Non-members may join BSACP at: https://bsacp.org.uk/about-bsacp/membership/
Feedback Sought to Develop a Population-Representative Sexual Health Survey Instrument
11 October 2019
WHO/HRP and partners are looking for sexual/reproductive health researchers to provide creative ideas that will be used to develop a standardized sexual health survey instrument. Individuals who contribute highly ranked ideas and have relevant experience will be supported to join a 72-hour WHO/HRP hackathon in January 2020. The hackathon will finalise the sexual health survey instrument and plan next steps. WHO/HRP are particularly interested in submissions from researchers in low- and middle-income countries. Details of the open call are available on the WHO/HRP website (https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/03-09-2019-seeking-feedback-to-develop-a-population-representative-sexual-health-survey-instrument) and the deadline for entries is 24 October 2019. Any questions can be directed to Lianne Gonsalves at gonsalvesl@who.int
Antonella Lavelanet, DO, JD, MPH, FACOG
Medical Officer, Maternal/Perinatal Health and Preventing Unsafe Abortion Team
UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP)
Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization
Abortion in Northern Ireland: Guidelines Issued Ahead of 21 October Deadline
8 October 2019
The government has published guidance for healthcare professionals on abortion law in Northern Ireland (NI). The new guidelines cover the period from 22 October to 31 March 2020, and set out what will happen following changes to the law after 21 October, if the NI Executive is not restored.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-49965339
Publication of NICE Guideline on Abortion Care
25 September 2019
The new NICE guideline on Abortion Care is published today on the NICE website. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140
Also on the NICE website can be found the supporting evidence (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140/evidence), as well as all the stakeholder comments (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140/documents/consultation-comments-and-responses-2) that NICE received during consultation and the responses to these comments. NICE have also produced an equality impact assessment (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140/documents/equality-impact-assessment-4) to support the guideline.
The recommendations from this guideline have been included in the NICE Pathway on Abortion Care (https://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/abortion-care) which brings together everything NICE has said on Abortion Care in an interactive flowchart. There is brief information about the guideline for people using services, carers and the public at ‘Information for the public’ (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140/informationforpublic).
Also published in tandem with the guideline are two NICE Decision Aids (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140/resources/patient-decision-aids-and-user-guides-6906582256), which have been developed alongside the guideline and are included on the tools and resources tab (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140/resources) of the guideline webpage (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng140).
Joint BSACP/RSM Annual Conference, RSM, London, Wednesday 16 October 2019 - EVENT NOW FULLY BOOKED!
12 September 2019
BSACP/RSM Conference Registration – early bird registration fee only available until Monday 16 September!
The British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) and the RSM’s Sexuality & Sexual Health Section are jointly organising a one-day conference on ‘Launching NICE Guidance – New Frontiers in Abortion Care’ to be held at the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) in London, UK on Wednesday 16 October 2019.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ‘Termination of Pregnancy’ guideline will be published around 25 September 2019, and this conference will be the primary event for abortion providers to come together to learn, discuss and debate the impact of the new guideline recommendations on abortion services and patient care. This conference will bring together a wide range of experts and health care professionals from all areas of the UK to provide a comprehensive overview of current and future concepts in abortion care.
See the full conference programme and register at: http://www.rsm.ac/NICEabortionguidance – EVENT NOW FULLY BOOKED!
***BSACP members are entitled to a 40% discount on the early bird (available up until Monday 16 September) and standard conference registration fees.***
To join BSACP, go to https://bsacp.org.uk/about-bsacp/membership/ and complete an online membership application form. BSACP members will be provided with a discount code to use when registering for the conference on the RSM website.
Abstracts Invited for Oral and Poster Presentations
Poster submissions are invited, from which four will be chosen to give an oral presentation at the conference, with a prize awarded for the best presentation. See abstract submission guidelines: BSACP RSM 2019 conference call for abstracts 26062019 Abstract submission deadline: Tuesday 10 September 2019. ***NOW CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS***
Submissions Invited for the James Trussell Essay Prize
This year we are inviting submissions for a new essay prize that acknowledges the contribution that Professor James Trussell made to the field of reproductive healthcare during his long and illustrious career. See instructions for submitting an essay for consideration for this award, which is jointly sponsored by BSACP and bpas: James Trussell Essay Prize 2019 instructions 26062019 Essay submission deadline: Tuesday 10 September 2019. ***NOW CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS***