More women could be allowed to have early abortions outside NHS hospitals in England, under a relaxation of the rules being considered by the Department of Health.

The proposal follows a pilot study by researchers at the University of Southampton that found that abortions using pills rather than surgery could be safely carried out in local family planning clinics, cottage hospitals and health centres.

The procedure, known as early medical abortion (EMA), is an option for women up to nine weeks into a pregnancy. It usually entails two trips to a clinic, a few hours or days apart, during which pills are taken to cause a miscarriage. Trials at two clinics suggest that women liked the informality and increased support provided in dedicated settings away from hospital.

Providers of EMA say that women should be allowed to take the second pill at home, after receiving medical instructions. At present the law states that the pills can be administered only at licensed sites, such as hospitals, approved NHS providers and private clinics, but the Health Secretary has the power to change this.

Almost 200,000 abortions are performed in Britain each year, with two thirds being done within ten weeks of pregnancy but access to the service is beset by delays.

Experts say that appropriate settings for medical abortion should include trained staff with access to ultrasound scanners, counselling services and beds for possible overnight stays.

The Department of Health had suggested previously that a properly staffed and equipped mobile health service could offer the pills in family doctors’ surgeries, but a spokeswoman said yesterday that it was “unlikely that the majority of GP practices would meet the necessary requirements to provide early medical abortion”.

The spokeswoman added that the pilot scheme results showed that “large community contraceptive centres, cottage hospitals or polyclinic-type settings could offer a safe, high-quality service for women”.

Dawn Primarolo, the Minister for Public Health, said that medical professionals and patients would now be consulted on the proposal. She added: “Our priority is to reduce the time women have to wait for an abortion at what is already a very difficult time for them.”

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