GPs have been told to undergo proper training before they fit women with contraceptive implants in order to avoid repeating mistakes that have led to hundreds of unwanted pregnancies.
Family doctors are being warned they could be liable to pay patients damages if they insert a hormonal implant without first acquiring the necessary skills.
The move has been made by the Medical Defence Union (MDU), which represents more than half of the UK's family doctors and advises them about issues involving their competence, including alleged clinical negligence. It follows January's revelation that 584 women had conceived despite having had an Implanon implant and 1,607 complaints had been made about them to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the NHS's medical devices regulator, including problems such as scarring. Around 800,000 women use Implanon, and a total of 1.4 million have done so since it was first licensed for use in the UK in 1999. If fitted correctly just under the skin under the arm, the plastic implants are 99% effective and work for up to three years. The hormone-releasing tubes have soared in popularity in recent years and have become a key aid in the fight against teenage pregnancy.
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