Millions of women in England will soon be able to access free contraceptive pills by going to their local chemist without having to see a GP.
The new NHS plans start next month, and they will give women greater choice over where to get the pill and will free up appointments in under pressure GP surgeries.
Where women choose the combined oestrogen and progestogen pill, they will need a check-up with a pharmacist to record their blood pressure and weight.
But no checks are needed for the mini-pill (progestogen-only). This is also the case in other settings, NHS England said.
NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “This is really good news for women – we all lead increasingly busy lives, and thanks to this action, rather than making a GP appointment, they can simply pop into their local pharmacy when they need or want to access contraception.
“We will also be expanding services so that more health checks are available for patients on the high street, which is not only better and easier for patients but also frees up NHS time for more GP appointments for those who need them most.”
Women who are deemed at risk of blood clots on the combined pill because they are too overweight or whose blood pressure is high may be referred to their GP for further checks.
And ongoing checks to monitor blood pressure and weight, required by women on the pill, will also be available in pharmacies.
NHS England said it expects almost half a million women to be able to access the pill next year without needing to contact their GP first, with the figure rising after that.
Prescription figures for 2022/23 suggest there were almost three million prescriptions for the combined pill and more than four million for the mini pill.
Pharmacies need to sign up for the new service, meaning it will not be available immediately everywhere in England but as more pharmacies join the scheme, the nhs.uk web page will be updated so women can check which locations offer the…
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2023-11-15 22:34:00
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