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Female Genital Mutilation

Checked: 23-01-2023 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-01-2024

Service Overview

Please be aware of the need for mandatory reporting of all children and young people (aged under 18) who have had, or are at risk of FGM. Please see FGM in children page for further information.

See the the following page on the ICB website for details on how to report concerns:

Female genital mutilation (FGM) support

Please also see link to the FGM safeguarding pathway (for all ages) and risk assessment tools:

Safeguarding women and girls at risk of FGM - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

FGM in adults (age 18 and over)

Adults identified as having had FGM should be offered referral to the Rose Clinic or can self refer.

There is also a requirement to code FGM using the standard FGM data capture template which is available in EMIS. However, it is important to remember that entering these codes does not fulfil requirement for mandatory reporting for under 18s.

The Rose Clinic

The Rose Clinic is a community based service in Bristol that provides specialist care and support for people who are experiencing problems because of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The clinic also offers deinfibulation surgery for women who have had type 3 FGM (infibulations) or may recommend onward referral to secondary care gynaecology when further surgery is appropriate

It is staffed by female doctors and nurses who understand the sensitive and complex issues surrounding FGM, and the helpline and appointments are confidential.

Translation is available on request. The service is based at East Trees Health Centre and is open to women aged 18 years and over, who are not pregnant at the point of seeking help.

Please see the Rose Clinic webpage for further details:

Bristol Rose Clinic (easttreeshealthcentre.co.uk)

FGM in pregnancy

Support for pregnant women who have had FGM is available through hospital maternity services.

Female Genitalia Surgery

Please note: patients who have been to the Rose Clinic and where secondary care referral for FGM surgery has been advised, can be referred without the need for EFR funding.

Referral Guidance

Referral to Rose Clinic

Please refer to the Rose Clinic for adults (aged 18 and over) who have had FGM. There is a standard referral form which should be emailed to:bnssg.bristolrose.clinic@nhs.net or phone the clinic directly on: 07813 016 911.

Patients are also able to self-refer using the above email address or telephone number.

Patients must be aged 18 years and not pregnant at the point of seeking help.

Appointments are made on a case-by-case basis, there are no fixed clinics

Referral to Gynaecology

Patients should usually be referred to the Rose Clinic initially, who can then refer directly to gynaecology if necessary. Referral to gynaecology via eRS can also be made by a GP if there are other gynaecological problems, or if the Rose Clinic has advised onward referral (no funding approval is required in these circumstances).

FGM in children (aged under 18)

Please see FGM in children page for further information on support available.

Resources

Government Guidance

Safeguarding women and girls at risk of FGM - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) - includes link to FGM safeguarding pathway.

National Leaflets

NFGMSC Information leaflet for professionals

NFGMSC Patient information leaflet

NFGMSC Aftercare information leaflet

Rose Clinic Leaflets

Bristol Community Rose Clinic - Arabic

Bristol Community Rose Clinic - English

Bristol Community Rose Clinic - French

Bristol Community Rose Clinic - Somali

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

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