NHS Contraception Service

The consultation happens in our private consultation room with the door shut, not across the counter. Nobody waiting in the shop can hear you, and you do not have to explain yourself in front of anyone: "I would like to speak to the pharmacist" at the counter is enough, and we will take it from there. If you would rather not ask in person at all, ring 020 8863 6338 and we will tell you when we are quiet.

What you tell us stays confidential. It goes into your pharmacy record, and under the NHS service it is shared with your GP practice only if you give permission. If you would prefer your GP was not told, say so and we will not tell them; it does not stop you being supplied. Confidentiality applies whatever your age and whatever your circumstances, and there is no judgement and no lecture attached to any of this.

You do not need to be registered with a GP, and you do not need to live in Harrow. There is no prescription to obtain first and no referral: you refer yourself. If you would prefer to speak to a female member of staff, ask when you come in and we will arrange it where we can.

Our chemist sits on Pinner Road between North Harrow and Harrow town centre, with a direct run up from Rayners Lane and a short walk from West Harrow. Being a little away from the busiest town centre counters is part of why people use us for this, and the room is used for blood pressure checks and vaccinations too, so nobody can tell what you are in for.

The NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service launched in April 2023 covering repeat supplies only. Since 1 December 2023 pharmacists have also been able to initiate oral contraception, meaning we can start you on the pill for the first time rather than only continuing something a doctor began. In practice we can help whether you have never taken it, are returning to it after a break, or simply need your next supply.

We can supply the combined oral contraceptive pill and the progestogen-only pill, sometimes called the mini pill. NHS guidance describes the service as being for people aged 16 and over, with the combined pill supplied up to age 49 and most progestogen-only pills up to 54. If you are under 16, a sexual health clinic or your GP practice is the right place to go, and your visit there is confidential too.

There is nothing to pay. Contraception is free in England, so no prescription charge applies whether the pill comes from us, from a GP or from a clinic. If the pill you are already on suits you, we can usually just continue it and give you a further supply along with a date for your next review.

If it does not suit you — breakthrough bleeding, headaches, mood changes, sore breasts that have not settled after a few months — say so. We can talk through switching to a different pill and explain exactly how to change over without losing your protection. If a method other than a daily pill would genuinely suit you better, we will tell you that too and point you to where you can get it.

Allow about fifteen to twenty minutes for a first supply, and less for a continuation. We check your blood pressure, using a monitor validated by the British and Irish Hypertension Society as the service specification requires, and we measure your height and weight so we can work out your BMI. Both affect which pill is safe for you, which is why they are not optional.

Then come the health questions. We ask about migraines and specifically whether you get an aura beforehand, about smoking, about blood clots in you or in close family, about high blood pressure, breast cancer and liver problems, and about every medicine you take. Some epilepsy medicines, some antibiotics and St John's wort can all make the pill less reliable. We also ask about your periods and when you last had sex without contraception, so we can be reasonably certain you are not already pregnant and can tell you exactly when your protection starts.

If the combined pill is not safe for you, and migraine with aura is the most common reason, the progestogen-only pill often still is, and we can supply that instead on the same visit. If neither is appropriate we refer you and explain why, rather than turning you away with nothing.

Before you leave you get your supply, clear instructions on how to take it, what to do if you miss a pill, what to expect in the first few months and what should bring you back sooner. We tell you when your next review is due, and you can come back at any point in between. If your blood pressure reading was raised, follow it up with our blood pressure check, and repeat supplies can be dispensed alongside your other medicines through NHS prescriptions.

We provide emergency contraception free on the NHS. You do not need an appointment and you do not need to see a GP first. Since 29 October 2025 oral emergency contraception has been part of this NHS service, and we are signed up to provide it, so there is nothing to pay whatever your age or circumstances.

There are two tablets. Levonorgestrel can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, and ulipristal acetate up to 120 hours. Both work better the earlier they are taken, so the single most useful thing you can do is come in as soon as you can rather than waiting to see whether your period arrives. Our pharmacist will ask when it happened, what contraception you normally use and what medicines you take, then supply whichever tablet is right for you in the private consultation room.

It is worth knowing that neither tablet is as effective as a copper coil fitted as emergency contraception, which a sexual health clinic can arrange, and that emergency contraception cannot be supplied in advance to keep at home just in case. If you find yourself needing it more than occasionally, that is a good reason to talk to us about starting regular contraception, which we can also supply here.

Ring us on 020 8863 6338 if you are travelling to us, so we can have someone free when you arrive. We are open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm, and closed on Sunday — if you need emergency contraception when we are shut, NHS 111 will direct you to an open pharmacy or a sexual health service.

This is an oral contraception service, so it does not cover long-acting reversible contraception. The implant, the injection, the copper coil and the hormonal coil all need a trained fitter, which means a sexual health clinic or a GP practice that offers them. We cannot fit, remove or replace any of them, and we cannot supply the contraceptive patch or the vaginal ring under this service either.

We also cannot use this service to supply the pill for anything other than contraception. If you want it for acne, for heavy or painful periods, for endometriosis or to move a period for a holiday, that is a conversation for your GP practice, even though the tablets may be identical.

Emergency contraception is covered — see the section above. What we cannot do is supply it in advance just in case, and if you want the most effective option, which is a copper coil fitted as emergency contraception, that has to be a sexual health clinic.

This is not an STI check either. A sexual health clinic will test you free and confidentially, and many now send postal kits so you never have to attend in person. If you think you might already be pregnant, we stock pregnancy tests and will talk you through what the result means and what to do next. For anything else, contact us on 020 8863 6338 or book an appointment. We are open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm, and closed on Sunday.