In its latest draft guidance on 'Termination of Pregnancy' developed in collaboration with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended offering services to women to access both medical and surgical options for terminating their pregnancy. The draft guidance aims to improve the way termination of pregnancy services are organised, and their accessibility for women.
It recommends giving women the option to terminate their pregnancy either medically (mifepristone followed by misoprostol) or through a surgical procedure. Women should be offered an initial appointment within one week of request, and the procedure should be conducted within one week of the appointment. Additionally, it is recommended that women should have the option of directly accessing termination of pregnancy services, rather than making an appointment with their physician first.
Paul Chrisp, Director of the Centre for Guidelines at NICE, said: "Integrating and streamlining services should help improve access for all women, leading to shorter waiting times and allowing earlier terminations. This provides multiple benefits to the woman, including being able to have a medical termination at home."
