Figures show record high of almost three in 10 conceptions ending in abortion
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the percentage was 29.7% in 2022, up from 26.5% a year earlier and 20.8% in 2012.
The percentage has generally been increasing for all age groups since 2015, the statistics body said.
There were 247,703 conceptions leading to a legal abortion in 2022, a 13.1% rise on the 218,923 recorded in 2021.
Figures published last year by the Government showed the number of abortions in 2022 for women living in England and Wales was at a record level – at 251,377.
The ONS said its data is based on the estimated date of conception, while Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) figures are based on the date of the abortion, leading to a difference in the overall numbers.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) said lengthy waiting times for some forms of contraception as well as financial struggles faced by many could explain the rise.
Girls aged under 16 remained the age group with the highest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion, at 61.0%.
Women aged between 30 and 34 years old had the lowest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion in 2022, at around a fifth or 20.5%.
The age group with the highest number of conceptions was women in their early 30s, at 249,991.
Women aged over 40 years had a conception rate of 17.2 per 1,000 women in 2022, slightly below the record high of 17.3 per 1,000 women in 2021, the ONS said.
Katherine O'Brien, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas), said women are facing 'significant barriers' in access to contraception, including long waiting times and difficulties securing appointments.
She added: 'At Bpas, we regularly hear from women who are seeking an abortion after falling pregnant while waiting for repeat Pill prescriptions or coil insertions.
'Emergency contraception, while not a silver bullet to unplanned pregnancy rates, remains an underutilised resource in this country, with the majority of women not accessing this vital back-up method after an episode of unprotected sex.
'The Government has committed to improving access via pharmacies, but we need to see this medication reclassified so that it can be sold in a wider range of outlets, including supermarkets, so that women can access it as swiftly as possible when needed.'
She also noted interest rate hikes and increases in cost of living in 2022, which she said might have led to women and their partners having to make 'sometimes tough decisions around continuing or ending a pregnancy'.
She added: 'No woman should have to end a pregnancy she would otherwise have continued purely for financial reasons, and no woman should become pregnant because our healthcare system is failing to provide women with the contraception they want, when they need it.'
Caroline Ansell, from the charity Christian Action Research and Education (Care) described the figures as 'heartbreaking' and that it is 'especially painful' if poverty is a driving factor.
Ms Ansell said: 'The scale of abortion in England and Wales is heartbreaking for those who recognise that every life, no matter how tiny, is precious.
'Behind these statistics are women whose stories of trauma and regret are rarely heard in public debate. Understanding that poverty can be a driving factor is especially painful.
'A just and compassionate society provides support so that women can carry their babies to term, then care for their children as they grow and develop.'
The proportion of conceptions ending in legal abortion in 2022 varied in different parts of the country, the data shows.
Across all age groups, the figure was highest in north-west England (32.6%) and lowest in eastern England (27.3%).
But the gap was much larger among younger age groups, with the figures for 16-17 year-olds ranging from 48.2% of conceptions in Yorkshire/Humber to 66.2% in London.
Among 18-19 year-olds, the proportion ranges from 48.1% of conceptions in north-east England to 62.6% in London.
The lowest regional percentages were in the 30-34 age group, where the figure dipped as low as 18.5% for eastern England and 18.0% for south-west England.
At a local level, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove had the joint highest proportion of conceptions ending in legal abortion in 2022 across all ages (40.3%), followed by the London borough of Lambeth (38.4%) and Halton in Cheshire (38.1%).
East Cambridgeshire had the lowest percentage (18.6%), followed by South Cambridgeshire (20.0%), Bolsover in Derbyshire (20.2%) and Mid Suffolk (21.0%).
The DHSC statistics, published last year, showed the figure of 251,377 abortions for women living in England and Wales in 2022 had risen by almost a fifth in a year.
This was the highest number since the Abortion Act was introduced almost 60 years ago and was a rise of 17% on the 2021 figure, the department said.
Taking medications at home, known as telemedicine, was the most common procedure, accounting for 61% of all abortions in 2022.
This was up nine percentage points since 2021, the DHSC said.
Temporary measures put in place during the pandemic approving the use of both pills for early medical abortion at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic, were made permanent in England and Wales in 2022.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer issues last-ditch appeal as thousands of doctors strike
Thousands of resident doctors have begun a five-day strike after talks with the Government collapsed over pay. Resident doctors are taking to picket lines across England on Friday in a move which is expected to disrupt patient care. Members of the public have been urged to come forward for NHS care during the walkout, and are being asked to attend appointments unless told they are cancelled. GP surgeries will open as usual and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available, alongside NHS 111, NHS England said. Sir Keir Starmer made a last-minute appeal to resident doctors, saying the strikes would 'cause real damage'. 'The route the BMA Resident Doctors Committee have chosen will mean everyone loses. My appeal to resident doctors is this: do not follow the BMA leadership down this damaging road. Our NHS and your patients need you,' he wrote in The Times. He added: 'Most people do not support these strikes. They know they will cause real damage.' 'Behind the headlines are the patients whose lives will be blighted by this decision. The frustration and disappointment of necessary treatment delayed. And worse, late diagnoses and care that risks their long-term health. 'It's not fair on patients. It's not fair on NHS staff who will have to step in for cover for those taking action. And it is not fair on taxpayers. 'These strikes threaten to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year, choking off the recovery.' It comes after Wes Streeting sent a personal letter to NHS resident doctors, saying: 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in.' The Health Secretary said while he cannot pledge a bigger pay rise, he has been committed to progress to improve doctors' working lives. He also said he does not now believe the British Medical Association's resident doctors committee (RDC) has 'engaged with me in good faith' over bids to avert the strike. In the letter sent on Thursday afternoon to resident doctors, Mr Streeting said: 'I wanted to write to you personally about the situation we find ourselves in. 'This Government came into office, just over a year ago, with a great deal of sympathy for the arguments that resident doctors were making about pay, working conditions and career progression. 'I was determined to build a genuine partnership with the… RDC to make real improvements on all three fronts. 'We have made progress together. While some of my critics in Parliament and the media believe I was naive to agree such a generous pay deal to end the strikes last year, I stand by that choice.' Mr Streeting said resident doctors have now had an average 28.9% pay award under Labour. He added: 'Strike action should always be a last resort – not the action you take immediately following a 28.9% pay award from a Government that is committed to working with you to further improve your lives at work. 'While I've been honest with the BMA RDC that we cannot afford to go further on pay this year, I was prepared to negotiate on areas related to your conditions at work and career progression, including measures that would put money back in the pockets of resident doctors.' Mr Streeting said that based on talks with the BMA aimed at averting strikes, he had been determined to tackle the 'arduous' training pathway, and 'I made it clear that I was prepared to agree actions to reduce the costs you face as a result of training'. He said he had also been looking at the cost of equipment, food and drink, and 'was prepared to explore how many further training posts could be created – additional to the 1,000 already announced – as early as possible'. Mr Streeting said talks had been progressing but 'I no longer believe that they (RDC) have engaged with me in good faith'. The Health Secretary continued: 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in. 'The public, and I am sure many of you, do not understand the rush to strike action.' Mr Streeting later said there is 'no getting around the fact that these strikes will hit the progress we are making in turning the NHS around'. He added: 'But I am determined to keep disruption to patients at a minimum and continue with the recovery we have begun delivering in the last 12 months after a decade-and-a-half of neglect. We will not be knocked off course.' Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Streeting said: 'The BMA's leadership, who I believe are badly letting down both their members and the health service, will find that the costs of the strikes are that they now have a Secretary of State who has both less appetite and less ability to work with them on the kind of measures we were having constructive discussions about last week that would materially improve the working lives of resident doctors and leave them with more money in their pockets.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, told the PA news agency health staff will be working 'flat out' to see as many patients as they can during the strike, after NHS England made clear it wants as much pre-planned care as possible to continue. He said: 'Striking doctors should think carefully if they are really doing the right thing for patients, for the NHS and for themselves… 'The strike will throttle hard-won progress to cut waiting lists, but NHS trust leaders and staff will be working flat out to see that as many patients as possible get the care they need.' It is understood that NHS chief Sir Jim Mackey had told trust leaders to try to crack down on resident doctors' ability to work locum shifts during the strike and earn money that way. Leaders have also been encouraged to seek 'derogations', where resident doctors are required to work during the strikes, in more circumstances, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported. Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: 'These strikes were not inevitable – the Government entered negotiations with the BMA in good faith… 'The impact of these strikes and the distress they will cause patients rests with the BMA.' The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union is taking out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wants to 'lay bare the significant pay difference between a resident doctor and their non-medically qualified assistants'. It said the adverts 'make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. RDC co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said in a statement: 'Pay erosion has now got to the point where a doctor's assistant can be paid up to 30% more than a resident doctor. 'That's going to strike most of the public that use the NHS as deeply unfair. 'Resident doctors are not worth less than they were 17 years ago, but unfortunately they've seen their pay erode by more than 21% in the last two decades. 'We're not working 21% less hard so why should our pay suffer? 'We're asking for an extra £4 per hour to restore our pay. It's a small price to pay for those who may hold your life in their hands.' The statement said Mr Streeting had had every opportunity to prevent the strike, but added: 'We want these strikes to be the last we ever have to participate in. 'We are asking Mr Streeting to get back around the table with a serious proposal as soon as possible – this time with the intent to bring this to a just conclusion.' Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the framing of the BMA advertising campaign was 'disingenuous'. 'Given their repeated use of debunked ways of measuring inflation to overstate their pay claims, it follows a pattern of deliberately misleading calculations from the BMA,' a spokesperson said. 'The average annual earnings per first year resident doctor last year was £43,275. That is significantly more, in a resident doctor's first year, than the average full-time worker in this country earns. 'Resident doctors in their second year earned an average of £52,300 last year and at the top end of the scale, resident doctors in specialty training earned an average almost £75,000 – this is set to increase further with this year's pay award.' The Conservatives accused Labour of having 'opened the door' to fresh strikes with a 'spineless surrender to union demands last year'. Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said: 'They handed out inflation-busting pay rises without reform, and now the BMA are back for more. 'They are disrupting care, ignoring patients and gambling with lives. 'This is a betrayal of the NHS and those who rely on it. 'The public deserves hospitals where the doctors are on the frontline rather than the picket line. 'But every day Labour refuses to stand up to union overreach, Britain moves closer to a health service run on the unions' terms rather than the patients'.'
STV News
4 hours ago
- STV News
Hospices secure £5m to support NHS-level pay for staff
Hospice workers in Scotland are to receive pay equal to their NHS counterparts following a £5 million funding commitment from the Scottish Government. The investment, set out in the 2025-26 Budget, will ensure that frontline staff providing essential palliative and end-of-life care in independent hospices are fairly paid in line with NHS pay scales. The funding aims to help hospices recruit and retain skilled healthcare professionals during a time of rising workforce pressures and increasing demand for palliative care services. The move comes after Scottish Labour called for the cash to be released by ministers. Health secretary Neil Gray said: 'Independent hospices provide vital care and support to people and families across Scotland at the most difficult times in their lives. I am pleased we are able to support these organisations in supporting pay parity for their clinical staff. 'This funding recognises the skilled, compassionate care that hospice staff deliver every day, and helps ensure their pay reflects the immense value of their work.' But a leading hospice provider has expressed concerns that a £5m funding boost 'will not touch the sides'. Marie Cure Scotland, which has two hospices in the country, has questioned how much of an impact the cash would have, citing the UK Government's increase to employer national insurance contributions – which have been steadfastly opposed by ministers in Scotland. 'As Scotland's largest palliative and end of life care provider caring for people at our two Scottish hospices and in people's homes, Marie Curie Scotland welcomes the Scottish Government's announcement about how the £5m for Scotland's hospice sector, announced in the budget in December, will be provided,' said Marie Curie's associate director of policy and public affairs Amy Dalrymple. 'But one-off funding like this will not address the long-term funding challenges or tackle the inequalities that exist in end of life care. 'Alongside increased support for community services, we're calling on the Scottish Government to deliver a sustainable, long-term funding plan, that includes ways to future-proof the workforce, so that wherever you live, whatever your illness, you'll be able to rely on good care right to the end.' She added: 'Investment in hospice staff is essential. There is only one chance to get end of life care right. 'However, we are concerned that this £5m will not touch the sides given the recent changes to employer National Insurance contributions which are expected to cost Marie Curie Scotland close to half a million pounds in 2025-26 alone. 'Death is one of two certainties in life. 'The Scottish Government must prioritise palliative care to ease the strain on the already overburdened and underfunded NHS and create a system that works for everyone now and in the future.' In November 2024, hospice bosses warned they face an 'insurmountable funding gap' and said concerns are mounting that they may have to turn people away. They said hospices are a 'key part' of the health and care system, but they are not part of the NHS, with charities instead having to fund their running costs. Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group, Jacki Smart, said: 'This is a welcome first step in recognising the needs of the hospice sector, which plays a key role in delivering specialist palliative care for Scotland. 'It is right for patients and staff that hospices can pay skilled professionals fairly and in line with NHS colleagues, and we need to keep pace on this.' The announcement comes after UK ministers announced £75m would be shared among 170 facilities in England – believed to be the biggest boost ever for the sector. The UK Government announced its funding increase in the Sunday Mirror, with minister Stephen Kinnock praising the impact of the facilities. 'Hospices play a vital role in our society by providing invaluable care and support when people need it most. 'At this most difficult time, people deserve to receive the best care in the best possible environment with dignity.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Militant doctors start five-day strike demanding a 29% pay rise TODAY - despite PM's warning they're doing 'real damage to the NHS' and will drive up waiting lists
Thousands of resident doctors have begun a five-day strike in pursuit of a further 29 per cent pay rise today after talks with the Government collapsed over pay. Resident doctors have taken to picket lines across England from 7am this morning in a move which is expected to disrupt patient care. Members of the public have been urged to come forward for NHS care during the walkout, and are being asked to attend appointments unless told they are cancelled. GP surgeries will open as usual and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available, alongside NHS 111, NHS England said. Sir Keir Starmer made a last-minute appeal to resident doctors, saying the strikes would 'cause real damage'. 'The route the BMA Resident Doctors Committee have chosen will mean everyone loses. My appeal to resident doctors is this: do not follow the BMA leadership down this damaging road. Our NHS and your patients need you,' he wrote in The Times. He added: 'Most people do not support these strikes. They know they will cause real damage.' 'Behind the headlines are the patients whose lives will be blighted by this decision. The frustration and disappointment of necessary treatment delayed. And worse, late diagnoses and care that risks their long-term health. 'It's not fair on patients. It's not fair on NHS staff who will have to step in for cover for those taking action. And it is not fair on taxpayers. 'These strikes threaten to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year, choking off the recovery.' Sir Keir also said waiting lists were 'now at their lowest level in two years, and for the first time in 17 years, waiting lists fell in both April and May', but added that the BMA leadership puts this 'progress at risk'. It comes after Wes Streeting sent a personal letter to NHS resident doctors, saying: 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in.' The Health Secretary said while he cannot pledge a bigger pay rise, he has been committed to progress to improve doctors' working lives. He also said he does not now believe the British Medical Association's resident doctors committee (RDC) has 'engaged with me in good faith' over bids to avert the strike. In the letter sent on Thursday afternoon to resident doctors, Mr Streeting said: 'I wanted to write to you personally about the situation we find ourselves in. 'This Government came into office, just over a year ago, with a great deal of sympathy for the arguments that resident doctors were making about pay, working conditions and career progression. 'I was determined to build a genuine partnership with the... RDC to make real improvements on all three fronts. 'We have made progress together. While some of my critics in Parliament and the media believe I was naive to agree such a generous pay deal to end the strikes last year, I stand by that choice.' Mr Streeting said resident doctors have now had an average 28.9% pay award under Labour. He added: 'Strike action should always be a last resort - not the action you take immediately following a 28.9% pay award from a Government that is committed to working with you to further improve your lives at work. 'While I've been honest with the BMA RDC that we cannot afford to go further on pay this year, I was prepared to negotiate on areas related to your conditions at work and career progression, including measures that would put money back in the pockets of resident doctors.' Mr Streeting said that based on talks with the BMA aimed at averting strikes, he had been determined to tackle the 'arduous' training pathway, and 'I made it clear that I was prepared to agree actions to reduce the costs you face as a result of training'. He said he had also been looking at the cost of equipment, food and drink, and 'was prepared to explore how many further training posts could be created - additional to the 1,000 already announced - as early as possible'. Mr Streeting said talks had been progressing but 'I no longer believe that they (RDC) have engaged with me in good faith'. The Health Secretary continued: 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in. 'The public, and I am sure many of you, do not understand the rush to strike action.' Mr Streeting later said there is 'no getting around the fact that these strikes will hit the progress we are making in turning the NHS around'. He added: 'But I am determined to keep disruption to patients at a minimum and continue with the recovery we have begun delivering in the last 12 months after a decade-and-a-half of neglect. We will not be knocked off course.' Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Streeting said: 'The BMA's leadership, who I believe are badly letting down both their members and the health service, will find that the costs of the strikes are that they now have a Secretary of State who has both less appetite and less ability to work with them on the kind of measures we were having constructive discussions about last week that would materially improve the working lives of resident doctors and leave them with more money in their pockets.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, told the PA news agency health staff will be working 'flat out' to see as many patients as they can during the strike, after NHS England made clear it wants as much pre-planned care as possible to continue. He said: 'Striking doctors should think carefully if they are really doing the right thing for patients, for the NHS and for themselves... 'The strike will throttle hard-won progress to cut waiting lists, but NHS trust leaders and staff will be working flat out to see that as many patients as possible get the care they need.' It is understood that NHS chief Sir Jim Mackey had told trust leaders to try to crack down on resident doctors' ability to work locum shifts during the strike and earn money that way. Leaders have also been encouraged to seek 'derogations', where resident doctors are required to work during the strikes, in more circumstances, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported. Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: 'These strikes were not inevitable - the Government entered negotiations with the BMA in good faith... 'The impact of these strikes and the distress they will cause patients rests with the BMA.' The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union is taking out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wants to 'lay bare the significant pay difference between a resident doctor and their non-medically qualified assistants'. It said the adverts 'make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. RDC co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said in a statement: 'Pay erosion has now got to the point where a doctor's assistant can be paid up to 30% more than a resident doctor. 'That's going to strike most of the public that use the NHS as deeply unfair. 'Resident doctors are not worth less than they were 17 years ago, but unfortunately they've seen their pay erode by more than 21% in the last two decades. 'We're not working 21% less hard so why should our pay suffer? 'We're asking for an extra £4 per hour to restore our pay. It's a small price to pay for those who may hold your life in their hands.' The statement said Mr Streeting had had every opportunity to prevent the strike, but added: 'We want these strikes to be the last we ever have to participate in. 'We are asking Mr Streeting to get back around the table with a serious proposal as soon as possible - this time with the intent to bring this to a just conclusion.' Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the framing of the BMA advertising campaign was 'disingenuous'. 'Given their repeated use of debunked ways of measuring inflation to overstate their pay claims, it follows a pattern of deliberately misleading calculations from the BMA,' a spokesperson said. 'The average annual earnings per first year resident doctor last year was £43,275. That is significantly more, in a resident doctor's first year, than the average full-time worker in this country earns. 'Resident doctors in their second year earned an average of £52,300 last year and at the top end of the scale, resident doctors in specialty training earned an average almost £75,000 - this is set to increase further with this year's pay award.' The Conservatives accused Labour of having 'opened the door' to fresh strikes with a 'spineless surrender to union demands last year'. Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said: 'They handed out inflation-busting pay rises without reform, and now the BMA are back for more. 'They are disrupting care, ignoring patients and gambling with lives. 'This is a betrayal of the NHS and those who rely on it. 'The public deserves hospitals where the doctors are on the frontline rather than the picket line. 'But every day Labour refuses to stand up to union overreach, Britain moves closer to a health service run on the unions' terms rather than the patients'.'
