Free morning-after pill to be available from community pharmacies

Emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) – the morning-after pill – is to be available, free of charge, from community pharmacies in England starting in October.

This is part of a record £3.073 billion funding package for community pharmacies in 2025/26 announced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).  An additional £215 million has been allocated to sustain Pharmacy First and other Primary Care Recovery Plan services.

The provision of free emergency contraception through community pharmacies in England will bring them into line with services in Scotland and Wales. At present women seeking EHC in England face a so-called postcode lottery. In some areas EHC is available free of charge from pharmacies but in others it is only available for payment. GPs are able to issue EHC free of charge but there can be problems with access.

Pharmacists and registered pharmacy professionals who provide the service will have to complete the CPPE training package on emergency contraception.

Emergency contraception

There are two different types of emergency hormonal contraceptive pills:

• levonorgestrel 1.5mg – effective if taken within 3 days (72 hours) of sex
• ulipristal acetate 30mg – effective if taken within 5 days (120 hours) of sex

In addition, a non-hormonal, copper intra-uterine device (IUD) can be used for emergency contraception if inserted within 5 days of unprotected sex.