www.bpas.org

bpas

bpas is a specialist, not-for-profit provider of reproductive health services. Commissioning and referring to bpas has a number of advantages:

Experience and expertise

As a specialist we have the luxury of focusing on a particular clinical issue and becoming experts in our field, often driving forward service improvements and providing research. For instance; in 2006 bpas provided 56% of all UK 20-24 weeks gestation abortions, and 11,600 Early Medical Abortions (EMA). We also have particular experience in treating more complex cases such as those under 14 years old and with a high BMI.

More than 40% of bpas clients who request abortion in the early stages now opt for EMA, and report high levels of satisfaction with the service provided. bpas’ new EMA guide for Practitioners has been designed to educate healthcare professionals about the benefits of EMA and provide an insight into providing an EMA service. The document is free to NHS GPs and can be downloaded at http://www.bpas.org/js/filemanager/files/earlymedicalabortion_v7.pdf

Access

The use of "self referral," through a specialist call centre eliminates barriers to access by reducing the amount of pre treatment visits a client might have to make to receive treatment. This allows women to access treatment more quickly, which avoids them getting further into their pregnancy and having to have a more complex and expensive procedure.

Choice

At the heart of bpas’ philosophy is choice for both commissioning clients as well as for the women that need abortion services. Choice for commissioning clients means delivering a complete service, which may include central booking services, STI testing and treatment, choice of abortion procedures and provision of contraception.

Having a termination is an emotional process. At bpas, staff listen to the needs of the individual and help them to find the decision that best suits them. A commitment to choice means offering our clients the most appropriate procedure, based on clinical information, advice, and their personal preference. bpas offers the widest choice of treatment of all agency providers, including general anaesthetic for all gestations.

Quality

Quality of care is essential and bpas can demonstrate robust clinical governance, infection control and client satisfaction systems.

Information

Defining data requirements at the outset of any contractual arrangement is a useful process for both parties and helps to ensure that referrers can integrate information provided by bpas with their own. Security and data protection issues are also considered in our contracts with the NHS.

A caring service

Healthcare is as dependent on people, as it is on robust processes.  Staff at bpas are providing abortion services because they want to, they are committed and caring and there are no issues of conscience that can occur in a more generalised NHS setting. In a recent client survey 97% rated our staff as “good” or “excellent” and most clients believe that it is our staff that make the biggest difference to their experience.

Price

bpas adopts the policy that it will charge only what it has to in order to provide a safe, high quality service. In almost all cases bpas prices will be significantly less than tariff. As a registered charity and a not-for-profit organisation; any surplus generated by bpas is used to improve the UK service.

More Information

bpas currently provides abortion care on behalf of more than 107 primary care organisations and is responsible for 50% of NHS-funded abortions undertaken by specialist agencies. bpas is licensed by the Department of Health and inspected by the Health Care Commission.

For more information on bpas: development@bpas.org or call 0845 365 5050.

For publications, such as our Guide to Commissioning: marketing@bpas.org

Or visit our website: www.bpas.org

Chris Plummer
Director of Service Development Strategy
bpas

 

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