This site is intended for health professionals only


Pharmacies to trial contraceptive pill initiative

by
10 December 2008

Share this article

From next year, pharmacists in London will pilot a scheme giving women the option of receiving the contraceptive pill without the need for a GP prescription, it has been revealed.

Funding has been given to Lambeth and Southwark Primary Care Trusts to trial the scheme and help determine whether it would be suitable for rolling out across the rest of the country.

Women will be able to obtain the oral contraceptive after an interview with a qualified pharmacist. If the pilots are successful, the pill will be given the same status as the morning-after pill, which can already be picked up without direct authorisation from a doctor.

Health minister Lord Darzi insisted last year that “robust” standards would be put in place to ensure that staff were up to the job.

This is a sponsored advert: Please read the information below
Cogora InRead Image
Access one of the biggest primary healthcare communities across the UK
This is a sponsored advert: Please read the information above

The move requires a senior clinician at strategic health authorities to issue instructions called patient group directions (PGDs) to pharmacists.

PGDs are documents that make it legal for medicines to be given to groups of patients without the need for individual GP prescriptions.

These arrangements are currently in place for the morning-after pill. Separate PGDs are needed to give the pill to under-16s.

Such arrangements are currently in place for the morning-after pill and involve the pharmacist assessing whether a youngster is mentally competent.

Copyright © Press Association 2008


Want news like this straight to your inbox?

RELATED ARTICLES