Dr. Catherine Conlon:

In our research the people we contacted all had access to the service. That is the first thing. As I referred to earlier, there were women, particularly in rural areas, who did not know about My Options and who found it difficult to find a GP. Our findings showed that as well as the logistical impediments to actually finding a provider, the symbolic impact of that - to think there is nobody in my area who is providing this care - makes it quite distinctive from other areas of healthcare. It is a legislative part of healthcare and yet it is not provided in pockets of the country. That has a stigmatising significance on top of logistical problems. The efforts in the review to make for more widespread geographical distribution certainly go to the heart of accessibility.