Background and History
The Trust’s mission
The Trust’s mission is to provide information, education and support to those affected by early pregnancy complications and to the health professionals who care for them
It seeks to:
- raise awareness of the condition amongst the medical profession and general public;
- encourage ‘Best Practice’ within the medical profession through their own/other professional body guidelines and to raise awareness of diagnostic tools and treatments available;
- provide a range of information and support services to both members of the public and health care providers;
- encourage research and distribute findings.
The founders of the Trust were Tina Jones (Director 1998-2004), Jane Griffiths MP (1998-2005), Ruth and John Winter (1998 – 2001) the parents of Sophie Winter, and Professor James Walker, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St. James University Hospital, Leeds.
Today the Trust is driven forward by a group from diverse backgrounds in business and health care, delivering its mission of information, education and support.
Ectopic pregnancy affects 1 in 80 pregnancies in the UK, with an unknown number of women being admitted to hospital or treated in Early Pregnancy Units and Emergency Gynaecology clinics every year. There are at least 11,000 emergency admissions for the condition annually in England, and from anecdotal evidence, it is believed the number of cases of ectopic pregnancy may number more than 30,000 per year in the UK alone. The number of ectopic pregnancies and deaths (approximately 5 per year) caused by this condition has not fallen in the past 20 years – in fact the incidence is rising.
Until the launch of The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust in 1998 there was no body in the UK which focused exclusively on this relatively common condition.
