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This information would be held by NHS Boards.

The Scottish Government is consulting on the future arrangements for early medical abortion at home to allow abortion providers and other health professionals, the general public and in particular women who have experience of abortion services the opportunity to comment and submit evidence. Scottish Government officials have asked NHS Boards to make women receiving abortion treatment aware of the consultation where appropriate so that they can respond to it if they wish.

This information would be held by NHS Boards. However, the Scottish Government understands that there has been no significant impact on the costs of running abortion services as a result of the changes.

This information would be held by NHS Boards.

NHS Boards offer counselling services for women both pre- and post-abortion. Preliminary data from NHS Lothian indicates no change in calls to their dedicated abortion service helpline.”

NHS staff always ensure they speak to a patient on their own, at least for part of the appointment, and this still applies in the case of appointments by telephone or video call. This aims to make sure every patient has the space to raise any concerns freely if they are feeling coerced in any way (either to have an abortion or not to have an abortion).

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with all sectors involved in care and management of the deceased to identify potential problems and to minimise disruption and delays which could affect the ongoing provision of funeral services over the Christmas and New Year weekends.

The Lord Advocate is constitutionally responsible for the investigation of sudden, unexpected and unexplained deaths in Scotland. That is a function which he exercises independently of any other person, and one that is undertaken on his behalf by procurators fiscal employed within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). It is accordingly not for the Scottish Government to give advice to procurators fiscal. COPFS is satisfied that appropriate arrangements are in place for the forthcoming holiday period to ensure that deaths reported to the procurator fiscal during this time will be considered as expeditiously as possible in order to minimise the impact of reporting on nearest relatives and funeral arrangements that are to be made.

The Scottish Government has not advised GPs to extend their opening hours and availability over the Christmas and New Year period. The normal festive contingencies will be in place with surgeries closed 25 and 28 December and 1 and 4 January. This is the normal period of closure.

It is for burial and cremation authorities to decide when their facilities will be open over the festive period. The Scottish Government and the Inspector of Cremation are working with burial and cremation authorities, funeral director representatives and Regional Resilience Partnerships to ensure the sector has the information it requires to plan appropriately for the festive period. The Scottish Government will continue to work with the sector throughout the festive period to monitor the impact on availability of funerals, as has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic.

The opening hours and configuration of local registrar services remains the responsibility of local authorities. Opening times of registrar offices and availability to register a death remotely are being arranged locally for the festive period, while existing provision for out of hours registration continues to be in place in each local authority area.

NHS Boards have not indicated to the Scottish Government that women have raised any concerns about this. NHS Boards can provide women with advice on options for sensitive disposal of fetal remains if requested.

Fewer than ten significant complications or mental health concerns, which would or might have been avoided if the woman had had an in person appointment, have been reported where women had no in person appointment. Similarly, fewer than ten complications have been reported where women took only the second pill (misoprostol) at home, although the Scottish Government does not have information on all complications which may have occurred for this group. Given the very small numbers involved, the Scottish Government is not able to disclose further details, such as gestation, due to the risk of identifying individuals.

The Scottish Government does not hold any information on complications following abortions where women took both pills at a clinic or hospital.

The Scottish Government is aware that a small number of abortions in Scotland have been carried out using a “Pills by Post” abortion kit from British Pregnancy Advisory Service providers. However the great majority of abortions in Scotland are provided by NHS Boards.