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<p>Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required
Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers
in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements
in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who
may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff
are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how
to respond.</p><p>The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s
RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures
are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to
be considered during an inspection.</p><p>As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England
and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately
trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.</p><p>The standard of training for
health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory
regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and
approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content
that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all
curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasize the skills
and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely
diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.</p>
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