HOSPITALS have started to record the number of women treated for female genital mutilation (FGM) as action to outlaw the barbaric practice is stepped up.

The Department of Health (DoH) brought in new rules on Tuesday (1) which means hospitals have to record if a patient has undergone FGM, undergone an FGM-related procedure or if there is a family history of FGM.

A specific code has been set up, which means the Government can keep a record of how many women in the UK are living with the consequences of FGM.

Jane Ellison MP, public health minister, said: “Female Genital Mutilation is an abhorrent practice that has no place in this - or any other - society.

“In order to combat it and ensure we can care properly for the girls and women who have suffered mutilation, we need to build a more accurate nationwide picture of the challenge. This is the first step towards doing that.” Slough is classed by the NHS as a 'high-risk’ area for the illegal practice and last week we revealed Slough Borough Council pledged to scrutinise how it is being reported in schools and by medical professionals.

Wexham Park Hospital did not used to have a code to record FGM, but said all clinical staff receive FGM training. The safeguarding midwife also keeps a record of all mums who have delivered at Wexham Park Hospital who are FGM victims, including the gender of the baby.

However hospitals now must report FGM data to the DoH on a monthly basis to 'help the Government make sure the right support services are in place’.

The DoH will publish an initial national measure of the number of victims in autumn. It will be followed by more detailed statistics in the coming years.

The most recent Government estimate is that 20,000 girls under the age of 15 in England and Wales are at risk of FGM every year and that 66,000 women in England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM.