Services Database Supply of Emergency Hormonal Contraception (Cheshire West & Chester Area)

The aim of the service is to enable any suitable clients to be prescribed free Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) under a Patient Group Direction (PGD) in community pharmacies in Cheshire West and Chester following unprotected sexual intercourse. This service covers the following:

• 1:1 consultation - All females requesting the purchase of EHC will be referred to the accredited pharmacist for a confidential consultation to take place in an area that is fit for purpose (as per the requirements for enhanced services). Assessment of the need and suitability of a client to receive EHC, in line with the PGD must be undertaken by an accredited pharmacist;
• Provision of EHC - Where appropriate EHC will be supplied, where a supply of EHC is not appropriate, advice, provision of information and referral to another source of assistance will be provided;
• Provision of a pregnancy test - If there is the possibility that a client may be pregnant from a previous instance of unprotected intercourse then supply of EHC cannot be made until pregnancy is ruled out. Performance of a pregnancy test will be undertaken as outlined in the PGD. Where appropriate a home pregnancy test should be supplied if a test cannot be done in store;
• Consultation - For each consultation the pharmacist must complete the consultation pro-forma in discussion with the client at the time of the consultation;
• Verbal and written advice on the avoidance of STIs and the use of regular contraceptive methods, safer sex and the use of condoms;
• Onward signposting to family planning services and services for diagnosis and treatment of STIs to local service;
• Clients aged 15 to 24 must be advised of the rise in chlamydia infection and advised to have a chlamydia test two weeks after the episode of unprotected sex and whenever they change their partner. These clients should be given
  local service information and a chlamydia postal testing kit (available to pharmacies free of charge from the local Chlamydia Screening Office);
• Appropriate health promotion material and three free condoms (see appendix 2 for provision) must be available to those accessing the service. Pharmacists must actively promote uptake and be able to discuss the contents of the material with the client, where appropriate; and
• Pharmacists should work with existing networks for community contraceptive services so that women who need to see a doctor can be referred on rapidly.

The accredited pharmacist is required to undertake basic awareness training in child and adult safeguarding. The pharmacist must have completed an accredited learning package for example, the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) ‘Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults’ e-learning and assessment.
A NICE Competency framework has been developed as a tool to support individual health professionals and organisations that are commissioning or providing NHS services. It may also be relevant to individual health professionals and organisations delivering non-NHS healthcare services:
https://www.nice.org.uk/mpc/medicinespracticeguidelines/MPG2.jsp?domedia=1&mid=21BB8E1D-DFCF-79AF-EA15BD445F4DBEFA
While not compulsory, this is considered as a training requirement.