What is this service?
The Sexual Health Service consists of the supply of Emergency Hormonal Contraceptive (EHC) including Ulipristal, Levonorgestrel and Desogestrel. The most up to date PGDs can be found on the PGD section of our website.
How does it work?
Patients will present into the pharmacy and request a consultation. These requests are confidential and sensitive. Therefore, great detail should be shown to ensure patients to ensure they are made to feel comfortable in the Community Pharmacy environment.
The pharmacist must ensure, that where appropriate, a patient is counselled on sexual health advice and any other matters relating to the topic.
Records of patient consultations should be kept in the pharmacy for record.
As per guidance on the Community Pharmacy Scotland website, any pharmacist that chooses not to supply EHC on the grounds of religious, moral or ethical reasons must treat the matter sensitively and ensure the patient is signposted correctly.
More can be read on the following website: Public Health Service | Community Pharmacy Scotland
Condom Access through Pharmacies:
Currently, NHS Highland do not offer free condoms from the Community Pharmacy, however it is something we are looking into for the future. At present, contractors can independently access resources from places such as the Sexual Health Centre in Inverness and get a supply for their Community Pharmacy to share with patients. This is entirely voluntary at present.
Patients should be encouraged to reach out to the Sexual Health Clinics across NHS Highland on the following website: Support :: Highland Sexual Health.
They can help to advise and support on a range of topics:
Useful Resources:
NHS Highland Emergency Contraception algorithm