Category Archives: Health

New measures to better protect women and girls from FGM – Home Office

  • Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Summit demonstrates cross‑government commitment to tackle FGM and better protect women and girls.
  • Home Office to review FGM mandatory reporting to strengthen protections for girls at risk, and prosecutors and police to formalise working together earlier in FGM cases to build stronger prosecutions.
  • Measures to tackle FGM form part of government commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

Women and girls at risk of female genital mutilation will be better protected under a package of new measures announced on 29 April 2026 by the government.

The package was announced at the FGM Summit hosted by Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips MP and Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP.

At the summit, government ministers heard from experts, frontline professionals and victims and discussed a wide-ranging package of measures to improve the prevention, investigation and prosecution of FGM.

The Home Office will review the FGM mandatory reporting duty to ensure it is as strong and effective as possible and support professionals working with children to follow clear guidance on when and how to act.

New national practice guidelines for FGM Protection Orders will be developed to identify girls at risk of being taken abroad for FGM.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and National Police Chiefs’ Council will refresh their joint protocol on FGM to ensure investigators and prosecutors are better equipped to build strong cases from the outset.

The CPS will also develop a new training module for prosecutors to strengthen capability and expertise on FGM.

These commitments will deliver on the government’s VAWG Strategy, which set out the ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

The government’s first dedicated FGM Summit in ten years brought together survivors, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and specialist organisations to drive coordinated action. The government made several other commitments including:

  • Home Office and NPCC will develop an FGM risk factors toolkit to help frontline professionals spot warning signs earlier and intervene before a girl is harmed.
  • British Embassy staff will receive additional training delivered by the joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office’s Forced Marriage Unit to better identify and support British victims of FGM abroad and help bring them home safely.

The measures build on the government’s commitment to put survivors at the heart of the response to FGM, ensuring women and girls receive the support and protection they deserve.

Extracts from a longer press release at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-measures-to-better-protect-women-and-girls-from-fgm

May 13, 2026

Police warn against use of self swabbing kits – NCVPP & NPCC

‘Self swabbing’ rape and sexual assault kits present significant risk to victims

The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have issued a clear national position statement on the use of ‘self‑swabbing’ kits in unregulated environments following rape, warning that such kits present significant risk to victims, undermine safeguarding, and jeopardise the integrity of evidence.

Developed by the NCVPP, in collaboration with the NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences Chief Constable Sarah Crew, the position statement reflects extensive engagement with forensic experts, investigative leads, victim and survivor specialist organisations and national voluntary sector and charitable organisations. It aligns with the published positions of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM), NHS England, the Association of Forensic Science Providers Body Fluid Forum and Rape Crisis England and Wales.

Self‑swabbing kits, marketed to victims of sexual offences, operate outside regulated clinical or forensic environments, raising serious concerns about contamination, evidential continuity, and the absence of any safeguarding or medical support.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew, NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences, said:

“Self‑swabbing in unregulated environments is not compatible with the victim‑centred, suspect‑focused and context‑led approach that policing has committed to under Operation Soteria. Victims of rape and serious sexual assault deserve immediate access to specialist medical care, safeguarding, psychological support and accredited forensic processes. Asking victims to collect intimate evidence alone, at a moment of crisis, places an unfair burden on them and risks both their wellbeing and the integrity of any investigation. These kits can create false expectations, lead to re‑traumatisation and reduce trust in statutory services.

“Our national policing position is clear: forensic evidence gathered without continuity, control or clinical oversight is at high risk of being challenged in court and may ultimately be unusable. Diverting victims away from Sexual Assault Referral Centres removes critical opportunities for risk assessment, intelligence gathering and holistic care. Our priority is always to put victims’ needs first while relentlessly focusing on identifying, disrupting and prosecuting perpetrators and anything that undermines that risks allowing offenders to continue their behaviour.”

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/statement-on-use-of-self-swabbing-after-rape-and-serious-sexual-assault

March 31, 2026

Police warn against use of self swabbing kits – NCVPP & NPCC

‘Self swabbing’ rape and sexual assault kits present significant risk to victims

The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have issued a clear national position statement on the use of ‘self‑swabbing’ kits in unregulated environments following rape, warning that such kits present significant risk to victims, undermine safeguarding, and jeopardise the integrity of evidence.

Developed by the NCVPP, in collaboration with the NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences Chief Constable Sarah Crew, the position statement reflects extensive engagement with forensic experts, investigative leads, victim and survivor specialist organisations and national voluntary sector and charitable organisations. It aligns with the published positions of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine (FFLM), NHS England, the Association of Forensic Science Providers Body Fluid Forum and Rape Crisis England and Wales.

Self‑swabbing kits, marketed to victims of sexual offences, operate outside regulated clinical or forensic environments, raising serious concerns about contamination, evidential continuity, and the absence of any safeguarding or medical support.

Chief Constable Sarah Crew, NPCC Lead for Adult Sexual Offences, said:

“Self‑swabbing in unregulated environments is not compatible with the victim‑centred, suspect‑focused and context‑led approach that policing has committed to under Operation Soteria. Victims of rape and serious sexual assault deserve immediate access to specialist medical care, safeguarding, psychological support and accredited forensic processes. Asking victims to collect intimate evidence alone, at a moment of crisis, places an unfair burden on them and risks both their wellbeing and the integrity of any investigation. These kits can create false expectations, lead to re‑traumatisation and reduce trust in statutory services.

“Our national policing position is clear: forensic evidence gathered without continuity, control or clinical oversight is at high risk of being challenged in court and may ultimately be unusable. Diverting victims away from Sexual Assault Referral Centres removes critical opportunities for risk assessment, intelligence gathering and holistic care. Our priority is always to put victims’ needs first while relentlessly focusing on identifying, disrupting and prosecuting perpetrators and anything that undermines that risks allowing offenders to continue their behaviour.”

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/statement-on-use-of-self-swabbing-after-rape-and-serious-sexual-assault

March 31, 2026

Six in ten women say they were denied adequate care after miscarriage, new Miscarriage Association research reveals

Our major new report, Miscarriage in the UK, reveals that more than six in ten women (65%) say they did not receive adequate follow-up care after miscarriage.

The report, based on the experiences of more than 1,000 people affected by pre-24-week pregnancy loss across the UK, highlights widespread gaps in healthcare, workplace support and societal understanding. It paints a picture of care that is too often inconsistent, unequal and, at times, deeply distressing.

While half of respondents rated their care as good or excellent (34% and 16% respectively), more than a quarter (25.3%) described it as poor or very poor.

Alongside this:

  • 68% experienced mental health problems following miscarriage, including grief, depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.
  • 42% of women who wanted treatment for mental health symptoms did not receive it.
  • 65% said they did not receive adequate follow-up care.

Healthcare: inconsistent and inadequate

Women described care that varied dramatically depending on where they lived or which healthcare professional they saw. Many reported being sent home with little or no guidance, given conflicting advice, or misdiagnosed.

Access to Early Pregnancy Units, scans and investigations was often dependent on location or clinical discretion. Some respondents described undergoing emergency surgery after ectopic pregnancies were missed, including cases involving avoidable fertility loss.

A recurring theme was lack of dignity. Some women were left without basic provisions such as sanitary pads. Although 65% felt the language used by healthcare professionals was sensitive and appropriate, more than a quarter (26%) had the opposite experience.

One respondent described being told her baby had been “put in the incinerator with the rest of the medical waste.”

Another said her experience was: “Dehumanising – I had to bring the sac into hospital in a Tupperware box where it was treated like a specimen.”

Workplaces: limited support and poor awareness

The research also exposes significant gaps in workplace support:

  • 57% were not offered any formal support at work after disclosing pregnancy loss.
  • 48% said their employer did not have a pregnancy loss policy.
  • 28% were unsure whether such a policy existed.
  • 60% found their role or working environment emotionally triggering after returning to work.

Many employees were unaware of their rights around pregnancy-related sickness. Fear of stigma or career impact prevented some from disclosing their loss.

Society: silence and stigma persist

Beyond healthcare and employment, respondents described isolation in wider society. While friends and family were often supportive at first, support frequently faded over time. Some women lost friendships, and in some cases relationships broke down following miscarriage.

One respondent said:

“The most supportive friends were those that had been through it themselves. Some people, who I thought would be supportive basically just ignored me and those relationships have been damaged as a result.”

The findings highlight the urgent need for greater awareness, education and open conversation about pregnancy loss.

Our call for systemic change

We are calling for urgent action, including:

  • Routine follow-up care offered after every miscarriage.
  • Timely access to Early Pregnancy Units, including direct referrals and weekend availability.
  • Expanded bereavement care provision through specialist training.
  • Protected time for healthcare professionals to access compassionate communication training.
  • Guaranteed dignity and privacy in all hospital settings.
  • Full implementation of bereavement leave under the forthcoming Employment Rights Act, alongside stronger workplace pregnancy loss policies.
  • Action from the National Maternity Safety Investigation to ensure pre-24-week pregnancy loss is given equal prominence to later gestation outcomes.
  • A national effort to break the stigma surrounding pregnancy loss.

Read the full report at https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/blog/six-in-ten-women-say-they-were-denied-adequate-care-after-miscarriage/

See also

March 31, 2026

Six in ten women say they were denied adequate care after miscarriage, new Miscarriage Association research reveals

Our major new report, Miscarriage in the UK, reveals that more than six in ten women (65%) say they did not receive adequate follow-up care after miscarriage.

The report, based on the experiences of more than 1,000 people affected by pre-24-week pregnancy loss across the UK, highlights widespread gaps in healthcare, workplace support and societal understanding. It paints a picture of care that is too often inconsistent, unequal and, at times, deeply distressing.

While half of respondents rated their care as good or excellent (34% and 16% respectively), more than a quarter (25.3%) described it as poor or very poor.

Alongside this:

  • 68% experienced mental health problems following miscarriage, including grief, depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.
  • 42% of women who wanted treatment for mental health symptoms did not receive it.
  • 65% said they did not receive adequate follow-up care.

Healthcare: inconsistent and inadequate

Women described care that varied dramatically depending on where they lived or which healthcare professional they saw. Many reported being sent home with little or no guidance, given conflicting advice, or misdiagnosed.

Access to Early Pregnancy Units, scans and investigations was often dependent on location or clinical discretion. Some respondents described undergoing emergency surgery after ectopic pregnancies were missed, including cases involving avoidable fertility loss.

A recurring theme was lack of dignity. Some women were left without basic provisions such as sanitary pads. Although 65% felt the language used by healthcare professionals was sensitive and appropriate, more than a quarter (26%) had the opposite experience.

One respondent described being told her baby had been “put in the incinerator with the rest of the medical waste.”

Another said her experience was: “Dehumanising – I had to bring the sac into hospital in a Tupperware box where it was treated like a specimen.”

Workplaces: limited support and poor awareness

The research also exposes significant gaps in workplace support:

  • 57% were not offered any formal support at work after disclosing pregnancy loss.
  • 48% said their employer did not have a pregnancy loss policy.
  • 28% were unsure whether such a policy existed.
  • 60% found their role or working environment emotionally triggering after returning to work.

Many employees were unaware of their rights around pregnancy-related sickness. Fear of stigma or career impact prevented some from disclosing their loss.

Society: silence and stigma persist

Beyond healthcare and employment, respondents described isolation in wider society. While friends and family were often supportive at first, support frequently faded over time. Some women lost friendships, and in some cases relationships broke down following miscarriage.

One respondent said:

“The most supportive friends were those that had been through it themselves. Some people, who I thought would be supportive basically just ignored me and those relationships have been damaged as a result.”

The findings highlight the urgent need for greater awareness, education and open conversation about pregnancy loss.

Our call for systemic change

We are calling for urgent action, including:

  • Routine follow-up care offered after every miscarriage.
  • Timely access to Early Pregnancy Units, including direct referrals and weekend availability.
  • Expanded bereavement care provision through specialist training.
  • Protected time for healthcare professionals to access compassionate communication training.
  • Guaranteed dignity and privacy in all hospital settings.
  • Full implementation of bereavement leave under the forthcoming Employment Rights Act, alongside stronger workplace pregnancy loss policies.
  • Action from the National Maternity Safety Investigation to ensure pre-24-week pregnancy loss is given equal prominence to later gestation outcomes.
  • A national effort to break the stigma surrounding pregnancy loss.

Read the full report at https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/blog/six-in-ten-women-say-they-were-denied-adequate-care-after-miscarriage/

See also

March 31, 2026