Pharmacy Contraception Service
The PCS commenced on 24th April 2023, allowing the on-going supply of oral contraception (OC) from community pharmacies. On 1st December 2023, the service expanded to include both initiation and on-going supply of OC. From 29th October 2025, the service was further revised to include the addition of oral emergency contraception (EC), provision by pharmacy technicians and the addition of drospirenone to the progestogen only pill list.
Community Pharmacy South Yorkshire has received feedback suggesting that a small number of younger patients may have been turned away when seeking oral emergency contraception because of their age or a pharmacy professional’s personal beliefs.
There is no minimum or maximum age limit for oral emergency contraception provided through the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service. Patients should not be declined solely because of their age.
For patients under 16, the pharmacist or pharmacy technician must assess and document Fraser competence. If the patient is not considered Fraser competent, treatment cannot be provided under the PGD and they should be sensitively referred to an appropriate alternative service. For patients under 13, the pharmacy professional must also speak to their local safeguarding lead and follow local safeguarding procedures. Being under 13 does not, by itself, automatically exclude a patient from receiving treatment.
Escalation pathways and safeguarding information for each of the four places can be found below.
Where a pharmacy professional’s religion, personal values or beliefs affect their willingness to provide emergency contraception, arrangements should be made to ensure the patient can access timely care without delay or obstruction. This may include a handover to another trained colleague or referral to a nearby participating pharmacy or another appropriate service.
Where signposting or referral is necessary, pharmacy professionals should take reasonable steps to make sure the alternative service is accessible and able to help within the required timeframe. Depending on the circumstances, this may include checking the opening hours and availability of a nearby provider or contacting the provider directly. Patients should not simply be told to try another pharmacy without enough information or support to access timely care.
Contractors are asked to ensure that all members of the pharmacy team understand the service requirements and know how to respond sensitively when a younger patient requests emergency contraception.
Further information:
- NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service specification
- Levonorgestrel emergency contraception PGD
- Ulipristal acetate emergency contraception PGD
- GPhC guidance on religion, personal values and beliefs
- Community Pharmacy England: Pharmacy Contraception Service
See Community Pharmacy England’s (CPE’s) Pharmacy Contraception Service webpage here.
Read the CPE Briefing 017/25: Guidance on the Pharmacy Contraception Advanced Service here.
Download the service specification and Patient Group Directions here.
CPSY’s workplan aims to support contractors in improving the quality and delivery of their services through guidance materials, instructional videos, and other helpful tools.
As part of this workplan, CPSY also promotes advanced services to the public by providing a range of locally produced resources, including posters, social media content, and more (see links below).
Contractor Support
Contraception-pre-consultation-questionnaire
Yorkshire MESMAC – Weight loss injections and oral contraception: What you need to know
Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) – Patient-information leaflet-GLP-1-agonists-and-contraception
Promoting the Service to the Public
Posters
Social Media
PCS Social Media Post – My-local-pharmacy
Instagram/Facebook Reels
You can find our Facebook and Instagram pages via the links below. We’d really appreciate it if you could like and share our posts to help us raise awareness of pharmacy services among the public.
If you would like copies of any of our reels to share on your own social media accounts, please email us at info@cpsy.org.uk. We can provide them either as they are or as editable versions, so you can add your pharmacy logo if you wish.
Resources to Support GP Practice
Pharmacy Contraception Service Toolkit
PCS-What-GPs-and-Sexual-health-clinics-need-to-know-infographic-September-2025
Please find below the escalation pathway for each area, to be used for any complex cases related to the Pharmacy Contraception Service.
Barnsley Sexual Health Service Escalation Pathway
Doncaster Sexual Health Service Escalation pathway
Rotherham Sexual Health Service pharmacy EC pathway
Sexual Health Sheffield Emergency Coil Pathway – Updated July 2026
Reminder:
While the PGD does not restrict which brands can be supplied, all healthcare professionals should refer to and follow the local ICB formulary when selecting products. This ensures alignment with local guidelines, supports cost-effective prescribing, and maintains consistency with ICB-approved recommendations.
The South Yorkshire Contraception Formulary can be accessed here
Please find linked below the safeguarding information for each area.