Updated 20 September 2022
BPAS Birmingham South are known as the Robert Clinic and provide support, information, treatment and aftercare for patients seeking help with regulating their fertility and associated sexual health needs. Its main activity is termination of pregnancy.
Services are booked at the clinic for patients within the West Midlands region via a national telephone appointment service.
The service provides early medical abortion up to nine weeks and six days gestation and surgical abortion under local anaesthetic up to 13 weeks and six days gestation. Surgical abortion under conscious sedation can be provided up to 17 weeks and six days. Surgical abortions under general anaesthetic are not conducted at the clinic, but they can be arranged for women at other BPAS clinics when necessary.
BPAS provide service specific counselling and treatment, sexual health screening and contraception and carry out vasectomies.
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.
- Surgical procedures.
Under these activities the service provided:
- Pregnancy Testing.
- Unplanned Pregnancy Counselling.
- Early Medical Abortion.
- Surgical termination of pregnancy (SToP).
- Abortion Aftercare.
- Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing and treatment.
- Contraceptive advice and supply.
- Vasectomies.
The registered manager had been registered since May 2021 and is also the registered manager of another local BPAS registered location.
The government approved the use of misoprostol for medical abortions at home in England on 1 January 2019. On 30 March 2020, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care made two temporary measures that superseded the previous approval. The 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 pandemic. To date, the amendments made are still in place.
The new arrangement meant that pregnant women (and girls) who met an eligibility criteria would be able to take two medicines, Mifepristone and Misoprostol, for an early medical abortion up to nine weeks and six days gestation, in their own homes and without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic. The arrangement also meant medical practitioners could provide remote consultations and prescribe medicines for early medical abortions for women to take in their own home without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic.