Pharmacy Contraception Service: Information for GP Practices & NHS Teams
The aim of the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) is to offer greater choice from where people can access contraception services and create additional capacity in general practice and sexual health clinics (or equivalent) to support meeting the demand for more complex assessments.
The introduction of a national Pharmacy First service alongside expansions of contraception and blood pressure checking services are an important step forward for community pharmacies and their patients, but this development this will not solve all of the problems that pharmacies are struggling with. Community pharmacies remain under significant financial and operational pressure with businesses of all sizes reporting record losses. While these new services will offer some extra funding, this will not address the underlying funding deficit in the sector, and finding the capacity to deliver them will be a real challenge
Community pharmacy is well established in the provision of locally commissioned contraception and sexual health services. NHS community pharmacies are an accessible and convenient place for people to receive advice and support for contraception management.
Wednesday 29th October 2025, has been set as the provisional date that the PCS will expand to include the provision of oral emergency contraception (EC).
View pharmacies registered to provide Pharmacy Contraception Service: Hertfordshire & West Essex (updated 9 September 2025)
This NHS service involves community pharmacists initiating oral contraception (OC) and providing ongoing monitoring and supply of routine oral contraception.
▪ The supplies will be authorised via a Patient Group Direction (PGD), with appropriate checks, such as the measurement of the person’s blood pressure and body mass index (BMI), being undertaken, where necessary.
▪ The consultation will be provided by the pharmacist, except for BMI and blood pressure measurements, which may be conducted by suitably trained and competent pharmacy staff in advance of the pharmacist consultation.
▪ The service will be provided face-to-face (in the consultation room at the pharmacy) or remotely, where the individual requests this and the pharmacist assesses it is clinically appropriate, by telephone or live video link.
The service can be offered directly to people presenting in the pharmacy or by receiving signposted referrals from local general practices and sexual health clinics (or equivalent).
Time Savings for GP Surgeries – Community Pharmacy Services A4
Full resources for the Pharmacy Contraception Service including videos and templates can be found on the CPE website. If the person provides consent to share the outcome of the consultation with their general practice, the following information will be shared: patient and pharmacy details; date of consultation; blood pressure reading (where applicable); BMI (where applicable); quantity and name of medicine supplied; consultation outcome and if applicable, why no supply was made.
Where the person consents, any oral contraception or emergency contraception supplied is recorded in the patient’s GP record via GP Connect Update Record.
The notifications will be sent via NHSmail or other secure digital mechanism.
Training Support Please note this information is not endorsed by CPH.
Q. Is the pharmacy able to provide the service for all the hours that the pharmacy is open?
A. Each pharmacy owner will identify the hours and/or days they will provide this service. The pharmacy’s NHS website profile will be updated to indicate that the service is provided and pharmacies may confirm the availability of the service with local stakeholders as part of local conversations if they intend to receive referrals.
Q. Is there a formal referral route to refer these individuals to the service, as there is for general practice in the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS)?
No, individuals do not need to be formally referred, they can be signposted to a pharmacy offering the service. The reason for this is that pharmacies can offer this service to people presenting in the pharmacy, so they do not need to have been referred to access the service. However, for the CPCS, a formal referral is required (from GP practices or NHS 111) for people to access the service, as pharmacies are not allowed to offer it to patients who walk-in for advice.
Q. Is there any additional information that needs to be sent with a referral for these individuals to the service?
A. If the individual had previously been initiated on OC in a sexual health clinic and no record of supply was shared with the person’s general practice, then it is recommended that a referral is made to the pharmacy using NHSmail.
The referral should include information about the OC previously supplied to allow the pharmacist to provide continuity of supply. However, there is no need to provide this information for referrals from general practice, as the pharmacist will be able to confirm any previously initiated OC via the individual’s National Care Record.
Q. What happens if the pharmacist has a clinical concern or is unable to provide an OC?
A. If a supply of OC is not deemed clinically appropriate, the pharmacist will explain why this is the case to the person and refer them to their general practice or sexual health clinic (or equivalent).
Q. Is there any information that pharmacies may find useful to support their provision of the service?
A. As part of the consultation, the pharmacist with have a discussion with the individual regarding alternative and more effective forms of contraception including promotion of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC). It would be helpful for pharmacies to understand where individuals requiring LARC can be referred to and to have some indication of how quickly people are seen when referred to the service.
Q. Has communication taken place with general practice and sexual health clinics to make them aware of this community pharmacy service?
Yes. NHS England has engaged representatives of general practice and sexual health clinics about the service requirements and has worked with the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association. NHS England will do further work with general practice and sexual health clinics to raise awareness of the service once community pharmacy has had an opportunity to consider and take up the service. Community Pharmacy England will also discuss the service with the GPC and resources to help brief general practice and sexual health clinic teams are available on our PCS webpage.
