The NHS Pharmacy Contraception Advanced Service (PCS) is a tiered pharmacy contraception service. It is designed to:
- offer people greater choice where they can access contraception services from
- create extra capacity in primary care and sexual health clinics (or equivalent) to support meeting the demand for more complex assessments
From early 2023 contractors can register to deliver Tier 1 – ongoing supply of oral contraception, of the PCS as a national Advanced Service.
The objectives of the Tier 1 service are to:
- provide a model for community pharmacy teams to continue the provision of oral contraception (OC) supplies initiated in general practice or sexual health clinics (or equivalent) - this will be undertaken using PGDs to support the review and supply process
- establish an integrated pathway between existing services and community pharmacies that provides people with greater choice and access when considering continuing their current form of OC
You can find further information on the service in the service specification. We urge contractors to read the new service specification to start preparing themselves to deliver the service. You can read this on the service page on the NHS England website.