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The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians says women need to be able to trust healthcare providers

By Aurelia Foster and Eve Webster

Health reporter, BBC News

Healthcare workers are being told not to report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy.

The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (RCOG) says "deeply traumatised" women are being prosecuted following abortions.

By law, patients' data must not be disclosed without their consent.

The new guidance follows a recent rise in police investigations into abortions.

The RCOG says these cases are rare, however, and it is encouraging women to seek medical help if needed.

NHS staff can breach confidentiality rules to give information to the police about possible crimes, but only if it is in the "public interest". The RCOG says it is "never" in the public interest to report women who have abortions, and that they must be safeguarded.

In the first official guidance issued of its kind, a healthcare worker must "justify" any disclosure of patient data or "face potential fitness to practice proceedings".