MEDICAL staff at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust inserted a contraceptive implant in a ten-year-old girl in 2011, it has been revealed.

She was one of 22 female patients aged under 18 given the controversial treatment at Burnley General between 2010 and October last year.

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The others included a 13-year-old last year, two 14-year-old, four 15-year-olds, six 16-year-olds and eight 17-year-olds.

Nationally three ten-year-olds received the implant which is not fully approved for under-18s and can cause medical complications.

Lancashire Telegraph doctor Tom Smith said the procedure would only be used on ten-year-olds and early teenagers in exceptional circumstances where the girl had mental capacity problems and early menstruation was causing distress.

He said the total was lower than he would have expected.

Trust family care boss Vanessa Hollings said: “Contraceptive implants for girls under the age of 13 are only offered by the trust in very rare circumstances when they may be used for medical reasons.

“Serious consideration is given to each individual situation when the girl is under the age of consent and would be a decision made by a healthcare professional and the parent or guardian as a result of health problems or in order to safeguard the child.

“Any contraceptive implants are fitted in compliance with national guidance on consent, competence and safeguarding.”

Dr Smith said: “These figures are lower then I would expect.

“This implant would only be given to young girls in exceptional circumstances after a case conference of professionals with parents or guardians involved.

“With the ten-year-old, I suspect she had mental capacity problems and reached the 47 kilogramme weight which triggers periods and became distressed.

“Because of her mental age taking the contraceptive pill daily would not be an option.

“With the other girls, I feel mental capacity would be an issue and they were either sexually active or vulnerable.”

Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle said: “Provided proper procedures and precautions are followed I don’t have a problem.

“I wouldn’t want to see this being offered to teenagers as a matter of course.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “In exceptional circumstances where the girl is particularly vulnerable with proper safeguards this is the compassionate action.”

Ukip health spokesman, Blackburn-college educated Louise Bours voiced “grave concerns’”.

Ms Bours said: “I was shocked to read that a ten-year-old girl has had this device implanted by East Lancashire NHS Trust and throughout the country countless thousands of under-age girls have also had this procedure.

“I am gravely concerned, not least because such implants have not been tested on under-18 year olds and the long term safety implications are therefore unknown.

“The circumstances of the 10-year-old have not been revealed but I don’t think there is any justification for it and there are tens of thousands of implants given to girls below the age of consent,”