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Community pharmacies in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) are trialling an oral contraception service in areas where deprivation and reduced access to other sexual health clinics have been identified.
The pilot, which involves five pharmacies and four GP practices in the Bishopbriggs area, is funded by the Scottish government and was highlighted as an example of care in its ‘Women’s health plan: a plan for 2021–2024: final report‘.
According to the report, the pilot is “open to all female patients aged 13 to 50 [years] whose chosen contraceptive is OC [oral contraception]”.
“The service will offer a wide range of OC that can be prescribed and will provide both the progesterone-only pill or combined oral contraception,” it said.
Launched in September 2024, the pilot is being undertaken using a patient group direction (PGD) and can be used for the initiation of oral contraception, as well as ongoing supplies.
Those using the service will receive an annual clinical assessment, including blood pressure and body mass index checks, from a pharmacist.
The pilot will see an initial six-month planning and training phase, followed by an 18-month test of change, during which patients will be able to access routine oral contraception through community pharmacies. The pilot will be closely monitored and evaluated, and if successful, wider discussions will be held about adopting the scheme across NHS GGC and Scotland.
Currently, community pharmacies in Scotland can provide emergency contraception and bridging contraception as part of long-term national services offered under a PGD.
Sarah Scott, policy and PR pharmacist at Community Pharmacy Scotland, welcomed the pilot, saying “it is a natural extension of our well-established national women’s health services”.
Scott added: “Community pharmacies offer unrivalled access to high-quality healthcare interventions, and projects like this only add to the evidence base that backs up this statement.
“There is so much more that could be done to support the NHS and local communities, so it is encouraging to see this investment in testing new ways of working.
“We have no doubt that the evaluation will prove anything other than a resounding success, so we look forward to working with our partners in reviewing the outcomes and planning how this might expand.”
A spokesperson for NHS GGC said: “While reducing barriers and improving access to routine oral contraception, the pilot scheme is a further important boost to the importance of community pharmacies in providing routine and non-urgent care in the community. It will also free up time and resource to allow sexual health and other primary care services to concentrate on the needs of more vulnerable patients and those with more complex sexual and reproductive health issues.
“East Dunbartonshire HSCP [Health and Social Care Partnership] was identified as an appropriate area for the pilot due to its range of patient demographics, and high reliance on local healthcare services (GPs and sexual health) for contraception; therefore presenting an opportunity to pilot this community pharmacy model and measure outcomes.”
In August 2024, it was reported that community pharmacies in England had carried out 8,531 initiation consultations for oral contraception since the tier 2 service was launched in December 2023.
