To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports that the number of women travelling from Scotland to England to access later-stage abortion care has increased.
The Scottish Government completely understands concerns around women travelling to England to access abortion services and has been working urgently to establish an abortion service to the legal limit in Scotland. A task and finish group produced a Target Operating Model to inform the process, and work to implement the service is now being led by National Services Scotland.
The current stage of the process is focused on identifying and putting in place requirements for service delivery. This will involve recruitment of relevant staffing, including nursing and theatre workforce; the development of training pathways; establishment of governance arrangements and clinical protocols; and identification of the most appropriate host Board(s). It will also consider funding and service planning.
The Scottish Government will continue to offer any support we can to ensure a full service is delivered as quickly as possible. The Scottish Government is pleased to have provided funding to additional clinicians, helping them to access training to deliver these services.