GPs have voiced serious concerns about plans to introduce a new contraception prescribing service in pharmacies, the Medical Independent (MI) has learned.
This service will enable pharmacists to provide repeat prescriptions for specified forms of contraception to women aged 17 years and over, following an initial prescription from a GP.
This relates to short-acting reversible contraception, such as the oral contraceptive pill, transdermal patch, and vaginal ring.
The service is due to come into effect by the end of 2026. It was included in the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025 developed by the HSE, Department of Health, and Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU).
However, following publication in July of the Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Act 2026, GPs have raised concerns about its introduction.
Dr Tadhg Crowley, Chair of the IMO GP committee, told MI he believes the move is a “bad idea for the health of the women of Ireland”.
Dr Crowley said contraceptive medication was not without risk and potential side-effects. The prescription of contraceptives, such as the pill, often involves a period of trial and error to determine what medication works best for a woman, he added.
As a result, Dr Crowley argued that the proposed service would result in delayed presentations by women to their GP.
Under the plans, once a woman obtains a contraceptive prescription from their GP, a pharmacist will be able to renew the prescription and provide follow-up care (such as blood pressure checks) and appointments for an additional four-and-a-half years.
“I have huge reservations and health concerns about this plan,” Dr Crowley told this newspaper.
Dr Crowley added that the service would result in lost opportunities for GPs to discuss other sexual and women’s health matters – including fertility, sexually transmitted infections, and cervical screening – disrupting continuity of care.
The IMO has previously argued that extending prescriptions for certain medicinal products beyond six months “runs contrary to best practice and poses a significant risk to patient safety”.
Monaghan-based GP Dr Illona Duffy said a consultation around contraception was often used by GPs to discuss wider sexual health.
“This is fragmenting care and outsourcing care, but will not solve the real problems in general practice,” Dr Duffy told MI. “This is not going to make things better… and who is going to be clinically responsible for these patients?”
A spokesperson for the IPU said it had “long advocated for greater access to contraception directly through community pharmacies”.
“Pharmacists are medicines experts and already have extensive experience supporting women’s health, including providing emergency contraception for more than a decade.”
A Department of Health spokesperson said it is satisfied the service can be introduced safely. The spokesperson said Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill had so far not received any formal communications expressing safety concerns about the proposed service.
“It will be supported by legislation, mandatory pharmacist training, clinical protocols, and regulatory oversight.”
The spokesperson noted the draft protocols have been developed with input from members of the Irish College of GPs.
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