NHS service
NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service
Start, continue or change your contraceptive pill — free, with no GP appointment.
The NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service lets our pharmacist (or a trained pharmacy technician) help you with the contraceptive pill without needing to see a GP or a sexual health clinic.
What we can do
We can start you on oral contraception for the first time, continue or repeat the pill you already use, or switch you to a different pill after a discussion about what suits you. This covers both the combined pill and the progestogen-only (“mini”) pill, supplied free under an NHS Patient Group Direction.
What happens at the appointment
The consultation is private and confidential. The pharmacist asks about your health, your periods, any medicines you take and your medical and family history, and talks through the options with you. For the combined pill, your blood pressure and BMI are usually checked because they affect which pill is safe for you. There is no charge for the consultation or for the pill supplied through this service.
Who it is for
The service is for people of childbearing potential who want to start or continue oral contraception. Age ranges depend on the specific pill — most are available from when periods begin up to and including age 54, and the drospirenone-only pill up to and including age 49. You do not need to be registered with a local GP, and you can come to us by walking in, contacting us, or being referred by a GP, sexual health clinic or NHS 111.
When we will refer you
If a longer-acting method (such as an implant or coil), a more complex assessment, or a sexual health review would be better for you, the pharmacist will explain that and signpost you to the right service. Suitability is always confirmed by the pharmacist.