Ambulance dispatches and 999 calls responding to abortion pill concerns have risen by 64% since 2019, according to an investigation by GB News.

The pills were made more readily available at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, allowing women to be posted the two pills after a telephone consultation with a specially trained nurse or doctor, removing the need to be seen and assessed in person.

Six ambulance trusts in England replied to GB News’ Freedom of Information request, which asked for the number of 999 calls and ambulances dispatches from people concerned about abortion pills.

They show there were at least 380 call-outs in 2019, this increased by 64 percent to 624 in 2020, with some ambulance trusts having double the number of calls and subsequent responses.

With face-to-face consultations no longer mandatory, there have been concerns raised over whether there is enough safeguarding for vulnerable women or children.

37-year-old Kirsty Deakin from Solihull was forced by her boyfriend to order abortion pills over the phone during the first lockdown.

She told GB News: “I made the call to an abortion clinic sort of hoping they’d question my decision.

“Because I knew deep down, I didn’t want to do it. They didn’t even offer me a scan…I could have been anyone on the phone when I rang for the pills.”