Thousands of women across England will be able to get the contraceptive pill at their local pharmacy from next month, as part of a major expansion of primary care services.
Pharmacies across the country will begin offering the new contraceptive service in December with almost half a million women able to access the pill next year without needing to contact their GP first.
The rollout is part of the NHS and government’s primary care access recovery plan, announced by the head of the NHS and the Prime Minister in May, which committed to making it quicker and easier for millions of people to access healthcare on their high street.
Pharmacists will also ramp up the number of life-saving blood pressure checks given to at-risk patients over the next year with a commitment to deliver 2.5 million a year by Spring 2025 – up from 900,000 carried out last year. It is estimated this could prevent more than 1,350 heart attacks and strokes in the first year.
And beginning from early next year, patients will also be able to get treatment for seven common conditions directly from a pharmacy, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription. The new service will cover sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women.
The ambitious blueprint aims to free up to 10 million GP appointments a year by next winter and give the public more choice in where and how they access care.
Skilled and qualified health professionals staff community pharmacies. A consultation has already been launched to enable pharmacy technicians to supply and administer medicines and the responses are currently being reviewed.
Nick Kaye, chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “Having been amongst those to deliver a locally commissioned walk-in common ailments service in community pharmacies in Cornwall, I’ve seen first-hand how improving access to advice and treatment works for GPs, pharmacists and above all patients. Today’s deal means that people across the whole country will soon be able to benefit from pharmacists’ prompt and expert support. NHS England have put their faith in us, having seen community pharmacy successfully deliver other clinical services at scale.”
More than a hundred pharmacies took part in the contraceptive pilot earlier this year with more than 4,500 women who had already accessed the pill able to receive an ongoing supply of oral contraception at their local pharmacy.
Speaking to the newsweekly, Raj Aggarwal OBE who ran the Central Pharmacy chain in Cardiff and is a fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said: "The expansion of primary care services to include community pharmacies is a positive step that will provide much-needed convenience and accessibility for women seeking contraceptive care. It makes sense to use the expertise of pharmacists but it is crucial to ensure that community pharmacies are adequately resourced and equipped to handle this increased responsibility. Investing in training and staff development will be essential to ensure that women receive the high-quality care they deserve. Additionally, we must closely monitor the impact of this reform on the workload and profitability of community pharmacies. Overall, I believe that the expansion of primary care services to include community pharmacies is a positive development that has the potential to improve access to essential healthcare for women across the UK, but it needs to have adequate funding as well otherwise it will be another drain on local pharmacies that are already struggling financially.”
Pharmacist Reena Barai told Asian Voice, “So many women will benefit from faster and easier access to contraception thanks to this service. Community Pharmacy teams and their Pharmacists are ideally placed to offer this in particular as we have established relationships with our patients and are trusted in our communities.”
