England: Pharmacy bodies call for EC to be commissioned nationally
July 2024. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), the Company Chemists’ Association, the National Pharmacy Association and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare are calling for the next government to commission a national Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) service from community pharmacies in England, similar to current arrangements in Scotland and Wales.
Theses organizations demand a National Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) service, “commissioned FREE (at the point of access) to women of all ages through community pharmacies in England. The service would not only transform access to care for all women, but directly tackle health inequalities and vastly improve health outcomes.”
According to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, “the current arrangements are inadequate for women:
- There is an incomplete understanding of the availability of free at-the-point access to EHC services
- As services are commissioned by local authorities, they cannot be promoted nationally
- There are currently no national standards to underpin the service
- There are no national training requirements for pharmacists and pharmacy teams”.
Read the full statement here.
