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Pharmacists play a vital role in supporting women’s health at every stage of life. But how is that care evolving? Kathy Oxtoby finds out…

Women’s health and wellbeing offer “a massive opportunity for pharmacy”, because at least two-thirds of customers tend to be women, says Lindsey Fairbrother, owner and superintendent pharmacist at Good Life Pharmacy in Hatton.

Pharmacy has “more access to female patients than any other part of the healthcare system”, she says.

Pharmacists and their teams support women throughout their lives, including when they are pregnant, looking after their children, and, as they get older, when they are potentially looking after their parents, she says.

“Pharmacists play a vital role in supporting women’s health at every stage of life. As accessible healthcare professionals, pharmacy teams provide trusted advice, clinical services and prescribing support on issues ranging from reproductive health and menopause to long-term condition management,” says Tase Oputu, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) England Pharmacy Board chair. 

“With the right training, integration and access to patients’ records, pharmacists are well-positioned to expand their role, maximising impact on outcomes, prevention and reducing health inequalities.”

This reflects the ambitions set out in the RPS Women’s Health policy.¹ Last October, the government announced its Women's Health Strategy will be renewed to tackle inequalities and improve access to healthcare for women across England.² 

Listens to women’s experiences and tackles inequalities 

The renewed strategy will “set out how the government will take the next steps to improve women’s healthcare as part of the 10 Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women’s experiences and tackles the inequalities they face”, says the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).²  

As part of the renewal, which will be published this year, the government will “look to identify specific barriers in access to healthcare and set out concrete action to remove them”, says DHSC.² 

“The renewed Women’s Health Strategy is very much aligned with what independent community pharmacies have been doing for many years, improving access, reducing barriers and supporting women at every stage of their lives through highly local, trusted healthcare provision,” says professor Harry McQuillan, the chairman of Numark.

“Community pharmacies are often the most accessible part of the NHS, particularly for women who may struggle to secure GP appointments, feel uncomfortable discussing sensitive issues, or are juggling work, caring responsibilities and family life. 

“With more women entering the profession, pharmacy teams bring real empathy and understanding for women’s health needs, enhancing the quality of care provided,” he says. 

Independent pharmacies “already play a vital role in supporting women’s health through contraception services, sexual health advice, pregnancy testing, treatment of common conditions, signposting into screening programmes, and wider health and wellbeing support”, he says.

“In many communities, pharmacists are the first healthcare professional a woman will speak to.”

Last year, the government announced that under-screened women will be offered convenient human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling kits under the 10 Year Health Plan.³ 

The initiative aims to “revolutionise cervical cancer prevention rates by tackling deeply entrenched barriers that keep some women away from potentially life-saving screenings, including a fear of discomfort, embarrassment, cultural sensitivities and the struggle to find time for medical appointments”, says DHSC.³  

“The focus on cervical cancer prevention and HPV screening is particularly important,” says Professor McQuillan. “While independent pharmacies are not currently commissioned at scale to provide HPV self-sampling kits, they are well placed to support the successful rollout of this initiative.

Encourage uptake among under-screened women

“Pharmacies can help raise awareness, encourage uptake among under-screened women, provide reassurance and practical guidance, and signpost into follow-up care where needed. With the right commissioning and integration, community pharmacy could play a much more active role in delivering and supporting self-sampling services, particularly in areas of health inequality,” he says.

“Pharmacies are not currently part of the HPV self-sampling kits roll-out but they are ideally placed to support it,” says Ms Oputu.

“They are highly accessible, trusted and reach women who may face barriers to other healthcare services. They already play a key role in sexual health, vaccinations and public health advice.

“Involving pharmacies could raise awareness of self-sampling, provide reassurance on how kits work and support follow-up signposting, particularly for underserved communities,” she says.

The expansion of women’s health services provided by pharmacies is one of Community Pharmacy England’s (CPE) ambitions for the community pharmacy sector. The work of general practices and women’s health hubs could be augmented by “expanding the current NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service to include long-acting reversible contraception”, says CPE.⁴ 

And commissioning a national emergency contraception service, “would remove the current variable access to emergency contraception across the country, reducing the inequalities in access and the need for women to seek support from general practices and urgent care providers”, says CPE.⁴ 

Independent pharmacies are “uniquely positioned to reach women who may not otherwise engage with traditional healthcare settings”, says Professor McQuillan. “They do this by offering walk-in access without appointments, extended opening hours, and care delivered by teams who understand their local populations. 

“This makes pharmacies an ideal setting for sexual health advice, emergency contraception, STI testing pathways, and early intervention conversations, all delivered in a confidential and non-judgemental environment.”

He says to reach more women, pharmacies need to be “fully recognised as partners in the delivery of women’s health services”.

“That means consistent national commissioning, local flexibility to meet community needs, and better integration with primary care and public health teams. When pharmacists are empowered to practise to the full extent of their training, the benefits for women’s access, outcomes and experience are clear.”

Social media can help independent pharmacies reach more women in their communities to give them better access to sexual health screening services, sexual health advice and emergency contraception. And pharmacists could connect with their local surgeries to tell them what services they offer, says Ms Fairbrother.

Pharmacists who are not maximising the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS), should be, she says. “There’s an opportunity there that you need to take up. You need to make women aware that they can have their repeat prescriptions done at the pharmacy, which saves them having to book a doctor’s appointment.”

“Pharmacies can increase access to sexual health services by providing discreet, confidential, and non-judgemental care in settings women already use and trust. Private consultation spaces, well-trained teams and clear promotion of services help normalise conversations and make support easier to access,” says Ms Oputu.

Pharmacies can also extend their reach through community engagement, targeted awareness campaigns and strong referral pathways with GPs and sexual health clinics, she says. “This joined-up approach reduces stigma, tackles inequalities and ensures women can access timely advice, screening, and treatment close to home,” says Ms Oputu.

Community pharmacy is “already supporting women’s health every day, quietly and effectively”, says Professor McQuillan. “With the renewed Women’s Health Strategy, there is a real opportunity to build on this strong foundation, use pharmacies more strategically, and ensure women can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”

References

1.     Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2026) Women’s Health. https://www.rpharms.com/recognition/all-our-campaigns/policy-a-z/womens-health

2.     Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) (2025) Government announces Women's Health Strategy to be renewed. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-womens-health-strategy-to-be-renewed

3.     DHSC, NHS England (2025) Home testing kits for lifesaving checks against cervical cancer. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-testing-kits-for-lifesaving-checks-against-cervical-cancer 

4.     Community Pharmacy England (2024) Community Pharmacy England’s response to the organisational questionnaire for the 10 Year Health Plan for England. https://cpe.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CPE-response-to-DHSC-NHS-consultation-on-the-10-Year-Health-Plan-Dec-2024.pdf