Background

I admit it. I’ve personally often used pharmacies as good sources of information, support and product. So it’s with more than professional interest that I’m undertaking my latest Journal commission: to explore the role of pharmacists in the field of sexual and reproductive health care (SRH).

This exploration has been triggered by the fact that said role is expanding. It was in the early 1980s that pharmacies become more involved in wider health care; the 2001 introduction of emergency contraception as pharmacy prescribable consolidated this involvement. The 2005 White Paper ‘Choosing Health Through Pharmacy’ widened the pharmacy brief of information delivery, including information on SRH. And recently, with the rise in home testing for pregnancy, fertility and some sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the high-street pharmacy has become an increasing conduit for advice and guidance of the kind that we Journal readers often deliver in our surgeries and clinics.

The trajectory of pharmacy involvement in the field is therefore undeniably onwards. But is it positively upwards? I’m especially interested in what those on the frontline think. Consumers – are they happy with the trend? Pharmacists themselves – do they see problems or opportunities on the horizon? Specialist professionals – are they wary or welcoming to the incomers? To find out, I approached representatives of all these constituencies, not only consumers but also pharmacy representatives, plus a variety of health professionals, who reported not only their own professional opinions but also the anecdotal perspectives of their consumer clients.

Accessibility

To begin with, the good bits. Almost everyone waxed lyrical about the advantages of pharmacy provision. The most-mentioned advantages were accessibility and convenience. No need to register. No need to make an appointment. No waiting around: if a pharmacist isn’t free, simply do a little more retail therapy and pop back. No closed doors: …