Healthcare professionals across the world are at the forefront of the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). Here in the UK we have decided it is now time to take the next step.

Ahead of the summer holidays I wrote about the need for healthcare workers to be extra vigilant ahead of the “cutting season” – when young British girls are taken abroad and subjected to FGM. I also highlighted the range of resources available to NHS staff so that they could feel empowered and confident to ask the questions and have the conversations that could ultimately save a girl from irreparable harm and potentially life-long pain and suffering.

Since the summer, we have been developing the new mandatory reporting duty and, in particular, what this means to NHS professionals on the frontline. From 31 October, when this duty commences, it will become compulsory for regulated health, social care and education professionals to inform the police every time a girl under 18 tells a professional that she had had FGM or if they see signs that appear to show she has had FGM.

We have worked closely with the Royal Colleges, NHS professionals and FGM survivors to ensure the duty makes sense to staff and is workable.

I want health professionals to feel fully equipped and confident to deliver this duty, so we have designed a package of health-specific materials and resources for NHS staff to guide them on how to implement the duty. Quick guidance for professionals, posters, training slides, video interviews with health professionals and a flow-chart have been developed so that NHS staff can see at-a-glance how to meet the new duty. Of course, patients are at the heart of the NHS and so we have produced an information leaflet for patients and their families as well.

The mandatory reporting duty is an important step that further strengthens our aim to eradicate FGM, but NHS staff must also continue to fulfil their wider safeguarding obligations under local arrangements just as before. And in cases where FGM seems imminent or a girl appears to have been recently cut, urgent action must be taken, including calling the police if appropriate. Eradication is the ultimate aim, so I want to take this opportunity to increase awareness of the need to protect girls against FGM across the board.

Failing to meet this duty will be dealt with in accordance with existing fitness to practise processes already in place for each profession. But do not worry, we want to empower health professionals, not target them. You have the backing and support of your employers, professional bodies and government. When you see a girl who has FGM we will all support you to take the first step to make sure she gets the help and support she needs. That is what the mandatory reporting duty is about; in many cases it will also help us to safeguard another girl in the family or address the health needs of a survivor.

Equally, the mandatory reporting duty is not to be confused with the existing requirement to record FGM patient data under the FGM datasets which have been in place since 2014. This requirement must also continue as before – when you record FGM in a patient’s healthcare record this does not fulfil your duty to make a report to the police for girls under 18 with FGM. As we can see, mandatory reporting will not work in isolation. Now, more than ever, a multi-agency, coordinated response is vital if our FGM prevention work is to succeed.

I want to make sure that all professionals feel confident to take the necessary action to meet the requirements of the duty and that they know what to do, every time, and in every case. There will be difficult situations, but we are clear that in all cases, we need to take action now. This video talks through some of the challenges they might face, when treating girls who are 16 or 17, when they’re not sure if what they see is FGM, and how to maintain a good relationship with the family.

Ultimately this is strengthening existing safeguarding responsibilities; we should already be acting whenever we know a child has been abused. We can be bold, and protect our girls knowing that every time we act we are working towards an end to FGM in this generation.

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