The morning-after pill will be available without charge on the NHS at pharmacies in England, the government has announced in an effort to reduce the “postcode lottery” of free access to the emergency contraception.
The morning-after pill is one of two forms of emergency contraception that women can use after having unprotected sex, or where other forms of contraception have failed. The sooner that emergency contraception is used, the more effective it is.
As the NHS notes, the copper coil, or intrauterine device, can be accessed for nothing and is the more effective of the two options, but it must be fitted by a trained medical professional within five days.
By contrast, the morning-after pill can be taken at home but must be used within three to five days, and the NHS warns it may not be suitable for women who need to take steroid medicines for asthma or are overweight. The medication works by preventing or delaying the release of an egg, and does not cause an abortion.
The new announcement aims to increase access to the morning-after pill; while it is already available for nothing from most GP surgeries, most sexual health clinics and some NHS walk-in centres, not all pharmacies offer it for nothing, with some women paying up to £30 for the medication.
The health minister Stephen Kinnock said: “Equal access to safe and effective contraception is crucial to women’s healthcare and a cornerstone of a fair society.
“Women across England face an unfair postcode lottery when seeking emergency contraception, with access varying dramatically depending on where they live. By making this available at community pharmacies, we will ensure all women can access this essential healthcare when they need it, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the move, in addition to reducing inequalities, was also expected to free up GP appointments. The DHSC noted that routine contraception was already available for nothing from pharmacies, GPs and local sexual and reproductive health services.
Nick Kaye, the chair of the National Pharmacy Association, which represents about 6,000 independent pharmacies across the UK, welcomed the announcement.
“We’ve long called for national commissioning of emergency contraception, so this is good news for patients and pharmacies alike,” he said.
“For too long, access to free services has been a postcode lottery for patients, with local arrangements only existing in certain parts of the country and often being underfunded. Pharmacies are under enormous pressure amid the impact of record cuts to their budgets, so it is important any scheme fully reimburses them for this work.”
Dr Janet Barter, President of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health said, “This is tremendous news and something we’ve long been calling for. For too long, too many women have struggled to get access to emergency contraception just because they don’t live in the right postcode. By making it uniformly available at community pharmacies we’ll be removing the cost, stigma and access issues that have been a real barrier for women.”
The announcement is part of wider efforts by the government to reform community pharmacies as part of its “plan for change”, with the aim of increasing services and reducing pressure on hospitals, with the DHSC revealing it has agreed an additional £617m in funding with Community Pharmacy England worth an extra £617m over two years. The government is also writing off £193m of debt for community pharmacy owners.
As well as the expansion of free access to the morning-after pill, the DHSC said people with depression would be offered support at pharmacies when they were prescribed antidepressants, with more of the pharmacy team able to offer services such as medicines and prescriptions advice.
Kinnock said: “Community pharmacists are at the heart of local healthcare, and we want them to play a bigger role as we shift care out of hospitals and into the community through our plan for change.”
Kaye said: “Pharmacies will be relieved to have certainty about their financial position and news of the first increase in their funding for 11 years. After a decade of 40% cuts to their funding that has left the pharmacy network on its knees, it is good to see a concrete sign that ministers want to support pharmacies, which have so much potential to achieve the government’s vision of care closer to communities.
“No one wants to reduce services through protest action so we’ll look carefully at the detail and consult our members, who are facing substantial cost increases from 1 April, to understand what this means for the future of their services so we can recommend next steps.”
