Get your coil from your pharmacist: NHS to launch national pharmacy contraception service

Pharmacists will be able to supply women with coils and implants under NHS plans to free up GPs.

Under the same upheaval of access to contraceptives, women will also be able to get the pill without a doctor’s appointment.

The scheme – currently being trialled – will be fully rolled out in England later this year, MailOnline has learned.

It’s part of the wider push to ease the pressure on GPs, as pharmacists have already been given the power to issue sick reports.

Experts hope the reforms, which are still being negotiated with unions, will free up another 2 million hires a year.

Under current rules, pharmacists are allowed to dispense oral contraceptive pills and provide advice on different types of contraception. But they are not allowed to prescribe, measure or do an annual pill check.

The reform, which will start at national level in the coming weeks, is divided into four phases.

In the first case, pharmacists can carry out an annual check on the contraceptive pill, whereby the responsibility is completely removed from the GP.

Such appointments include checking a patient’s weight, blood pressure, and whether they are experiencing any side effects — as well discussing alternative methods of contraception and sharing information on how patients can switch to a new method.

It will be available to those already on the pill. But women can also continue to see their GP for their annual check-up if they wish.

The first tier of the National Contraceptive Service was expected to roll out nationwide starting Jan. 11. However, IT issues have delayed the national launch, insiders say.

In the second phase, currently rolling out from October, pharmacies in England will also be able to prescribe the pill to anyone who wants to use it.

Both phases have already been tested in pilots across the country.

In the third phase, pharmacies will monitor and manage the dispensing of repeated long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC).

LARCS involves implants — a small plastic rod placed in the upper arm that prevents pregnancy for three years.

They also include intrauterine systems (IUS) and intrauterine devices (IUDs), which are small T-shaped devices that are placed in the uterus — usually by a doctor or nurse.

They work by either releasing progestin (IUS) or being made of copper (IUD), both of which prevent pregnancy.

Pharmacists could also offer the contraceptive injection in the fourth phase of the plan.

The move comes as the government prepares to publish its primary care recovery plan.

It is expected to detail how ministers will address the record low level of public satisfaction with GP surgeries, which has left patients struggling to secure in-person appointments.

It’s probably also about devolving more powers to pharmacists, encouraging Britons to seek help from their local pharmacist for minor ailments.

Former shadow secretary for women and equality Taiwo Owatemi, who sits on the Health and Social Care Committee and chairs the All-Party Pharmacy Group (APPG), told MailOnline the service was a “welcome step.”

She said: ‘I know it will be a vital lifeline for women in the UK who need easily accessible contraceptive care in their communities.

“It will remove major hurdles women face when they need to talk to a doctor and instead take care into their own hands.”

And though I’m glad this is finally coming to fruition; it is frustrating that the government’s hesitation and procrastination has so slowed progress in this area.”

The Labor MP added: “I urge the government to consult the All-Party Group and pharmacy industry associations and listen to our concerns.

‘Public pharmacies can provide so many services, we should stop seeing our pharmacies as where we get our medicines.

‘A Pharmacy First scheme should be introduced, so that pharmacies are always the first point of contact for minor illnesses. Only by giving pharmacies these extra powers can we solve the crisis of primary care.

“It is disappointing that Neil O’Brien, the government’s own primary care minister, is refusing to meet the APPG, an example of the serious failure of leadership this government is displaying in saving our pharmacies. ‘

Meanwhile, Malcolm Harrison, CEO of the Company Chemists’ Association, which represents major pharmacy operators such as Boots, said: ‘The pharmacy contraceptive service is further recognition of the role the pharmacy can play in building capacity and resilience in primary care.

‘We estimate that, with investments, 2 million routine contraceptive appointments from the GP could be safely transferred to pharmacies.’

He added: “However, this first phase will only provide enhanced access to a limited number of people.

“The NHS needs to rapidly roll out the next phases – two, three and four – of this service.”

Pharmacy chiefs also called on the government to provide ‘the extra funding needed’ to enable pharmacists across England to take part in the service.

The effects of the pandemic, rising drug prices, labor shortages and inflationary pressures have pushed the industry into crisis, with hundreds of high street stores threatened with extinction.

The funding package allocated to pharmacies in England – set at £5.2bn in 2019 until 2024 – falls short by £500m, according to UK authorities. the representative body of community pharmacists, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiation Committee.

Mr Harrison added: ‘More than 42 million GP appointments can be safely transferred to pharmacies in England.

“This requires the government to invest in a sector that is currently underfunded at a cost of £67,000 per pharmacy.

He said: ‘The pharmacy sector is at a crossroads – investment now will help deliver more and more NHS services or else pharmacies in all parts of England will continue to close for good’.

Meanwhile Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, told MailOnline: ‘It’s hard to see how the pharmacy can continue to provide these services if funding is simply removed from the fees for other parts of the service to pay for. the training and the offer.

“In addition, NHS England’s inadequate IT solutions continue to overcomplicate administrative aspects and affect pharmacists’ ability to prioritize primary care for patients.

“As such, we may see continued delays in bringing this service to life at scale.”

National Pharmacy Association Vice President Nick Kaye added, “Pharmacies are convenient and non-stigmatizing places to access sexual and reproductive health services.

“Most pharmacies have consultation rooms where confidential discussions can take place about the safe and effective use of oral contraceptives and possible side effects.”

However, he warned that ‘the chances of a successful national rollout of the oral contraceptive service have been greatly reduced by a decade of chronic underfunding that has brought pharmacies across England to their knees’.

Mr Kaye said: ‘Pharmacy owners are being forced to put their energies into keeping their business afloat, rather than implementing new NHS services.

“The money for this service is not new – it is drawn from existing pharmacy budgets. Pharmacies are being asked to do more and more work with an ever-decreasing capacity to provide patient care.’