Public Health Primary Care Contracts - Pharmacies

Peterborough City Council has awarded Contracts for the provision of the following pharmacy services: EHC (emergency hormonal contraception) The award has been made via Direct Award Process B of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. Emergency Hormonal Contraception Services to be delivered by Community Pharmacies to support the local population.

Emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) may only be supplied by an accredited pharmacist. Medicine counter staff must be trained to refer each request for emergency hormonal contraception to the pharmacist(s).

It is the responsibility of the Pharmacy Manager to ensure that all pharmacists, including locums, supplying EHC are accredited. The pharmacy must be able to supply emergency contraception during opening hours of the pharmacy on at least 4 days of the week, one of which will preferably be a Saturday.

Pharmacists will supply Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) when appropriate to clients in line with the requirements of the Patient Group Direction (PGD) for the supply of EHC by Community Pharmacists. Pharmacies will offer a user-friendly, non-judgmental, client centred and confidential service.

The supply will be made free of charge to the client at Peterborough City Council (PCC) expense, dependant on the residency of the local authority boundaries. Pharmacists will link into existing networks for Sexual Health Services so that women who need to see a doctor can be referred on rapidly.

Clients excluded from the PGD criteria will be referred to another local service that will be able to assist them, as soon as possible, e.g., GP or community sexual health service. The pharmacy will provide support and advice to clients accessing the service, including advice on the avoidance of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through safer sex and condom use, advice on the use of regular contraceptive methods and provide onward signposting to sexual health services that provide long-term contraceptive methods and diagnosis and management of STIs.

This award is made in accordance with Direct Award Process B of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. The contract value is £112,000.

The initial contract period is 05 August 2025 - 30 June 2027 with two options to extend for a further 12 months each (maximum contract term is therefore 4 years). This is a continuation of an existing service awarded to an existing provider.