Emergency contraception could be delivered to women by BIKE on the NHS

Emergency contraception could be delivered to women by BIKE on the NHS after Deliveroo-style same-day service had successful trial for students in Freshers’ Week

  • MPs back calls for same-day morning-after-pill delivery service on the NHS
  • Trial saw emergency contraception delivered to women using a bike courier 
  • The pilot was launched by sexual health platform The Lowdown in Manchester 

MPs have backed calls for the NHS to provide a same-day delivery service for the morning-after pill after a Deliveroo-style pilot was trialled with students during freshers week in Manchester.

The trial, which was the first of its kind in the UK, delivered emergency contraception to women using a bike courier hours after they completed a short questionnaire online.

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, chairman of the Women and Equalities Committee, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We all know the morning-after pill works most effectively when it is taken as quickly as possible. That’s why we should be looking to reduce barriers to access and making it as non-judgemental as possible.

‘I would like to see services like this commissioned by the NHS, which would give people additional confidence that they were accessing the pills online from reputable suppliers.’

The trial, which was the first of its kind in the UK, delivered emergency contraception to women using a bike courier hours after they completed a short questionnaire online

The pilot was launched by sexual health platform The Lowdown in central Manchester between Tuesday 20 and Friday 30 September and allowed women over the age of 18 to order emergency contraception online via the questionnaire.

Orders placed before 5pm were delivered to women for free by a bicycle courier before 9pm the same evening.

‘We launched this campaign to raise awareness about the issues surrounding emergency contraception, which no other company has done,’ said Alice Pelton, founder of The Lowdown. ‘There is an opportunity for the NHS to improve the experience of getting the morning a-fter pill and partner with us.’

The morning-after pill is offered for free at GP surgeries and sexual health clinics across the UK, but this option is not available on weekends and women are usually questioned by a healthcare professional before receiving the tablet.

Emergency contraception can also be bought from some pharmacies after a consultation, but most only offer next-day delivery or require you to collect in store.

‘The morning-after pill is still associated with shame and the typical process of getting it can make you feel a bit rubbish,’ said Ms Pelton.

The morning-after pill is offered for free at GP surgeries and sexual health clinics across the UK, but this option is not available on weekends and women are usually questioned by a healthcare professional before receiving the tablet

Orders placed before 5pm were delivered to women for free by a bicycle courier before 9pm the same evening

‘Women often need to travel long distances and have a public conversation with a pharmacist over the counter about how many sexual partners they have had, which can be quite an intense conversation, especially when you are a young student in a new city.’

Last year, a survey of 2,086 women by the Lowdown found that 53% of respondents had experienced problems accessing contraception despite local authorities being required to offer a broad range of services to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

‘Young people really embraced the trial and appreciated how discreet it was. But we did get some negative comments on Twitter,’ said Ms Pelton.

‘To critics, I would say put yourself in someone else’s shoes and remember that shame does not help you if you wake up in the morning after having unprotected sex and you do not want to get pregnant.

‘There are multiple reasons why people can’t access long-term contraception or one method can fail, and getting the morning after pill is the responsible thing to do,’ she added.

The Lowdown hope to inspire innovation in the way NHS fund access to contraception. While a same-day delivery service would need to be funded and likely rolled-out with a private partner, a 2018 government report found that every £1 invested in contraception provision in England saves the NHS £9 in the long run.

Ms Nokes added: ‘Access to contraception should be easy, affordable and in an appropriate setting that women feel comfortable with.

‘It’s important to remember that using emergency contraception if you need to is a responsible thing. Too often, society can be quick to judge in those circumstances and we should do everything we can to facilitate ease of access.’

MPs have backed calls for the NHS to provide a same-day delivery service for the morning-after pill after a Deliveroo-style pilot was trialled with students during freshers week in Manchester

The Lowdown also hope to work on future trials to make emergency contraception more accessible, including using Amazon lockers in regional hubs.

Baroness Liz Barker, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the UK, said: ‘The APPG on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the UK supports the right to accessible oral emergency contraception without fear of stigma.

‘This pilot from The Lowdown enables women to access contraception in a way that meets their needs and is an example of exciting innovation taking place in this area, with the aim of ensuring women have greater control over their reproductive health.

‘Beyond this, we are focused on ensuring that the cost of oral emergency contraception is not prohibitive and that all women can access this safe and essential part of sexual and reproductive healthcare.’

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