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Fiona Bruce and PA
UK News

Abortion staff 'fear over bonuses' shocks Christian MP

Fiona Bruce demanded the Health Minister Philip Dunne launch an investigation after the industry regulator found some workers at the Marie Stopes International centre in Maidstone thought their performance bonuses could be at risk.

The representative for Congleton said: "When people go to discuss whether or not they want to have an abortion - and we have to remember a lot of these women are in an extremely difficult situation and haven't necessarily made up their mind - they want to have a discussion which enables them to consider all their options."

Fiona Bruce

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), a body which regulates health and social care in England, said some staff feared cancelled abortion appointments could be used as a Key Performance Indicator to evaluate their work.

In a newly-published report, which followed an inspection in May this year, it concluded: "Staff were concerned that 'Did Not Proceed', the term used when women decided not to proceed with treatment, was measured as a KPI and linked to their performance bonus.

"They felt that this encouraged staff to ensure that patients underwent procedures."

One of the largest providers of pregnancy terminations in the country, Marie Stopes denied any suggestion that staff receive a performance-related bonus for the number of clients they treat.

Richard Bentley, Managing Director at Marie Stopes UK, said: "Informed choice is at the heart of our charity's mission, and every woman we serve is talked through her options before booking an appointment and again at the clinic.

"We follow a stringent consent process, and we will not proceed with a procedure if we have any doubt at all that a woman is unsure of her decision."

Around one in 20 of Marie Stopes UK's clients did not proceed with an abortion after booking an appointment in 2016, the organisations statistics reveal.

The Department for Health told Premier it would not be commenting.

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