Birth control jabs for West Midlands schoolgirls

Eight fifteen year old girls have been given contraceptive jabs during their lunch breaks at school in the West Midlands.

It emerged after a Daily Telegraph survey using Freedom of Information requests. It's thought the girls parents were not told because that would have meant nurses breaking confidentiality rules.

Across the UK nurses have given implants or jabs to girls aged between 13 and 16 more than 900 times in the past two years.

The implants prevent pregnancy for up to 3 years by releasing hormones into the blood.

Here in the West Midlands the procedures were carried out by The Heart of England NHS Trust. In a statement the trust said:

“The service we provide for our younger patients, whereby we offer implants and contraceptive jabs, has been formally commissioned and is available to under 16s on a confidential basis.

 “All young people under 16 undergo a Fraser Competency Assessment at each visit to any of our sexual health services. This ascertains that they are competent to make an informed decision themselves about their sexual health. Our health professionals always encourage young people to talk to a parent or responsible adult about their sexual health and this is included in the patient’s assessment process.”