Hundreds of thousands of women have accessed the morning-after pill at high street pharmacies in England during the first five months of the NHS’s free supply scheme, according to new figures published by NHS England.
The service, which began in October 2025, saw almost 305,000 doses of the emergency contraceptive pill supplied between October 2025 and March 2026 without women needing to book a GP or sexual health clinic appointment. NHS England said the aim is to make emergency contraception easier and more convenient to access closer to home.
Pharmacies are becoming a faster route to contraception support
Women can now visit participating pharmacies and have a confidential consultation with a pharmacist or trained pharmacy technician before receiving the pill on the same day. Pharmacy teams can also help women with ongoing contraception, including starting or continuing the contraceptive pill.
NHS England said around 4 in 5 people in England live within a 20-minute walk of a community pharmacy, which it said helps bring support closer to the people who need it. The service is also designed to offer continuity of care, with pharmacists able to inform GPs with the patient’s consent.
NHS says the scheme is already changing access
Dr Sue Mann, NHS National Clinical Director for Women’s Health, said the move was a major step forward because it gives women quicker and easier access to emergency contraception with no appointment and no waiting. She said the service is already making a real impact, particularly for women living in more deprived communities, and added that community pharmacies can also support longer-term contraception choices.
Health and Social Care Minister Baroness Gillian Merron said the number of women using the service in just five months showed why the policy change was made, describing it as part of a wider effort to build an NHS that listens to women and delivers support whenever and wherever it is needed.
Pharmacist Veronica Sanna, who works at Headingley and Alwoodley, said patient feedback has been positive and that women value being able to access confidential advice quickly and easily. She added that community pharmacies offer private consultation rooms, extended opening hours and a more accessible setting for sexual health support.
The figures suggest the NHS is continuing to shift more everyday women’s health services into the community, with pharmacies playing a larger role in both emergency contraception and ongoing reproductive health support.
Source: NHS England
