Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' findings that the total prescribed long acting reversible contraception excluding injections rate in Tower Hamlets decreased from 34.7 per 1,000 women in 2018 to 22.3 per 1,000 women in 2020, published 2022, whether her Department is taking steps to improve access to contraceptive provision in (a) primary care and (b) specialist sexual and reproductive health services in (i) Tower Hamlets and (ii) England.

National Health Service and local authority commissioners are responsible for planning services to meet the needs of local communities, including appropriate access to contraceptive services. The Women’s Health Strategy for England encourages local commissioners and providers to consider adopting models of care which improve access to services, including contraceptive services, such as women’s health hubs.

From January 2023, NHS England will introduce Tier 1 of a Pharmacy Contraception Service, enabling community pharmacists to provide ongoing management of routine oral contraception which was initiated in general practice or a sexual health clinic. This will allow greater choice and access for those considering continuing their current form of contraception. We will set out further plans to improve sexual and reproductive health in England, including access to specialist services, in due course.