Access to contraception
We asked:
"Promote new access opportunities to get contraception without seeing a GP for an appointment. The new pharmacy contraceptive scheme enables those requiring the contraceptive pill to get this from their local pharmacy without the need to see a doctor or have an appointment. A pharmacist may be able to supply the contraceptive pill if you need to:
- start using the contraceptive pill for the first time
- start the contraceptive pill again after a break from taking it
- get a supply of the contraceptive pill if it’s already been prescribed to you
Do you support the promotion of this service as part of the sexual health offer in York?"
The majority of respondents replied “yes” (88.3%) to this question.
| Response | % of respondents |
|---|---|
| Yes | 83.3% |
| No | 2.6% |
| Don't know | 9% |
Approximately a quarter of respondents did not answer the question.
There were some caveats to those who responded positively, including:
- queries around a qualified pharmacist always being available
- pharmacies already being at capacity
- lack of privacy in pharmacies
- would the pharmacist let the GP know they’d prescribed the pill as this may result in incomplete medical records?
- suitable training
- would the quality of the service be maintained?
You said:
Yes, we support the offer of contraception from Community pharmacies but need some reassurance of the quality of the service.
We did:
Work with Community Pharmacy North Yorkshire to promote the scheme. Look for ways to publish where the service may be accessed, including this information on the YorSexual Health and council websites. Continue to promote contraception options available via our communications team on social media and other resident facing publications.
The community contraceptive service is part of the NHS long term plan, and women’s health strategy for England. Public Health are very supportive of this approach as it provides an opportunity for pharmacies to help address health inequalities by providing wider healthcare access in communities and signpost service users into local sexual health services in line with NICE guidance.
Pharmacists are highly skilled professionals who adhere to the same standards as other NHS providers, there is no reason for this to be a substandard service and the service will not be offered until the appropriate training has taken place.
In respect of the issues around privacy, this service will only be available in those pharmacies where a private consultation room is available. If a qualified pharmacist is unavailable, then the staff will be able to signpost to the closest pharmacy offering the service at that time. GPs and the sexual health service continues to support people to access contraception. This increases opportunities to access, it does not reduce them.