A new service offering oral contraception through pharmacies has already saved over 1,000 hours of GP time

A new NHS service enabling people to access oral contraception directly from their local pharmacy has already saved more than 1,000 hours of GP and healthcare professional time.

 

Between April 2024 and March 2025, community pharmacies delivered 6,386 oral contraception consultations, saving 1,061 GP hours, and making contraception more convenient for many.

 

 

The service is part of a national Pharmacy scheme, which allows people to receive advice and treatment for seven common conditions, as well as oral contraception, without needing a GP appointment or prescription.

 

Despite its success, many people still don’t know that oral contraception is available through their local pharmacy. 

To help increase uptake, NHS Derby and Derbyshire have launched a new awareness campaign to promote the service more widely.

 

The campaign is particularly focused on reaching young people aged 16–24, who are among the highest users of oral contraception nationally.

 

NHS Pharmacy teams will be travelling the county in September to attend college and University freshers fairs, and information is being circulated to schools, community groups and sexual health clinics.

 

Lindsey Fairbrother, pharmacist, Good Life Pharmacy, Derbyshire, said: “My patients are delighted with the service, they find the service really convenient.

 

“The accessibility of the oral contraception service has meant I’ve been able to reach some of our more vulnerable groups, such as travellers who may not have consistent access to their usual healthcare providers, and those with no locally registered GP.

 

“I find it incredibly rewarding to support people of all ages.

 

“Some of my best successes have come when I’ve supported with emergency contraception initially, which led to longer-term solutions like oral contraception.

 

“I now have a young lady settled on oral contraception, all because of a simple conversation when she came to me for help.”

 

Beth Symonds, 26, from Mackworth in Derby, said: “I get quite nervous in medical environments, but going to my pharmacy works well for me.

 

“It’s easy to get to, I don’t need to make an appointment, and I feel calm when I’m there.

 

“They also do blood pressure checks so it means I don’t need to book an appointment with a doctor.

 

“They’re always really efficient with my ongoing supply, I literally just pop in to collect it, it takes less than 5 minutes!”