Free morning-after pill now available at pharmacies in England
NHS England has announced that from Wednesday, 29 October, emergency contraception pills will be available free of charge at high-street pharmacies across England.
This will see the oral emergency contraception pill made available for free to women from almost 10,000 pharmacies in the country.
Women will no longer need to see their GP or get an appointment at a sexual health clinic to access the morning-after pill.
The emergency contraceptive pill will be available for free to women of childbearing age from their local pharmacy, provided it is signed up to deliver the NHS contraception service.
NHS England also announced that it has empowered local pharmacists to advise and support antidepressant users regarding their medication and healthy lifestyle changes that could improve their outlook.
This additional information and guidance on lifestyle changes will be available to anyone who is aged at least 18 collecting their new prescription for antidepressants from their local pharmacist.
These announcements are part of a broader initiative to improve the services offered by local pharmacies across England and expand access to NHS services.
As the NHS shifts towards local, community care, pharmacists are beginning to play a bigger role in the provision of services to their community.
Other recent changes include allowing pharmacists to provide prescription-only medicines such as antibiotics or antivirals to treat common conditions such as sinusitis, shingles, earache, urinary tract infections, and more without the need to first see a GP.
Local pharmacies can now also provide a free blood pressure check service for anyone over 40, and they offer a Smoking Cessation Service to help patients who wish to quick smoking..
The provision of free oral emergency contraceptives from pharmacies was hailed by NHS National Clinical Director in Women’s Health Dr Sue Mann as the “biggest change to sexual health services since the 1960s” as she highlighted the benefit of shifting care towards local pharmacies.
“This is one of the biggest changes to sexual health services since the 1960s and a game-changer in making reproductive healthcare more easily accessible for women,” Dr Mann said.
“Instead of trying to search for women’s services or explain their needs, from today women can just pop into their local pharmacy and get the oral emergency contraceptive pill free of charge without needing to make an appointment.”
“Community pharmacists and their teams are trusted professionals who women will be able to speak to confidentially and address any concerns they may have,” she added.
“With 4 in 5 people living within a 20-minute walk from a pharmacy this service is another example of how the NHS is already delivering on our 10 Year Health Plan commitment to shift care into the heart of communities.”
