Department Of Health
Under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967, as amended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, only a registered practitioner can terminate a pregnancy.
Practitioners taking responsibility for the procedure must fill in the notification forms on this page.
Grounds for carrying out an abortion
Form HSA1 and form HSA2 are paper forms. Form HSA1 is for practitioners to certify their opinion on the grounds for an abortion. Form HSA2 is for emergency abortions.
Recording practitioners good faith opinion
Form EMA1 or a similar certificate must be completed to record the registered practitioners good faith opinion that the pregnancy will not exceed 10 weeks at the time when the first pill (mifepristone) is taken if either of the following apply:
- the prescription for early medical abortion pills is signed at the registered medical practitioners usual place of residence
- where the pills are to be self-administered by the pregnant woman at her usual place of residence
Informing the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of an abortion
Practitioners must notify the CMO of an abortion using form HSA4. You can:
- order printed copies of HSA4 by completing the online order form
- fill in the form online
To fill in the form online, youll need a password from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC):
- email: hsa4@dhsc.gov.uk
- telephone: 020 7972 5541
As abortion is an emotive subject, and to reduce risk to our staff, we do not give a named contact.
Guidance on filling in the forms
This page also contains guidance notes on filling in each of the forms.
Abortion statistics
The DHSC has a responsibility to monitor the Abortion Act and to publish statistics on abortions in England and Wales. We have processes for checking and monitoring the HSA4 forms that inform statistics.