Clinic Service · Oxford
✓ NHS Pharmacy Contraception Tier 2 · GPhC-registered

NHS Contraception

Service in Oxford.
NHS-funded contraception service for adults – initiation and repeat supply of oral contraception (combined pill and progestogen-only pill) without seeing your GP. 15-minute confidential consultation, supplied the same day, follow-up appointments included.
Book NHS Contraception Appointment
Price per consultation

Free

NHS-commissioned
NHS PHARMACY CONTRACEPTION SERVICE (TIER 2) · NHS-FUNDED · SAME-DAY · PRIVATE ROOM
DoseScheduleCover
Initial consult15 minutesFree
SupplySame-dayFree
Follow-upAnnual reviewFree
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NHS service – no charge. Eligibility: adults requiring oral contraception (combined or progestogen-only).
Confidential consultation in a private room. No GP referral needed.
Clinical brief · Oral contraception

Same advice, faster access.

Three things to understand about pharmacy-led contraception.
Contraception Medication
NHS Contraception - pharmacist-led, free under the NHS

How does the service work?

Pharmacy Contraception (NHS Tier 2) lets pharmacists initiate and continue the combined oral contraceptive (COC) or progestogen-only pill (POP) after a confidential consultation. We follow the same clinical guidelines as GPs – measuring blood pressure, taking a health history, screening for contraindications, and explaining how to use the pill correctly.

Which pills are available?

Combined oral contraceptive (COC) options: Microgynon, Rigevidon, Levest, Cilique and equivalents. Progestogen-only pill (POP) options: Cerazette / Cerelle, Noriday and equivalents. Choice depends on your health history and preferences.

When is GP referral needed?

For new methods (IUD/IUS, injection, implant), complex medical history, suspected pregnancy or unusual symptoms, we refer back to your GP or sexual health service. Most routine pill prescriptions can be handled fully at the pharmacy.

Symptoms to watch for

When to seek help.

These deserve a check-in. Contact your prescriber or NHS 111 promptly.

Severe headache

Especially with visual changes.

Breathlessness

Sudden, with chest pain.

Leg pain & swelling

DVT warning.

Visual disturbance

Numbness or speech change.

Heavy bleeding

Persistent or unscheduled.

Pill missed

Use back-up contraception & advice.

New skin reaction

Mole change or rash.

Eligibility checklist

You can use this service if…

  • Starting the pill - combined or progestogen-only.
  • Need a fresh prescription for what you take now.
  • Skip the GP for repeats.
  • Private consultation in our room.
  • Aged 16+ (Fraser for under-16s).
Contraindications (history of stroke, DVT, certain migraines, breast cancer, etc.) may rule out the combined pill – the POP is suitable for most people in that situation. New IUD/IUS, implant or injection: GP or sexual health clinic.
PROTECTED MEDIPILL OXFORD
NHS Contraception FAQ

Common questions, answered.

Yes – completely. Consultations are in a private room, your record is on the NHS pharmacy system only, and we don’t need to contact your GP unless something requires their attention.
Yes – NHS-commissioned service. No charge for the consultation, the blood pressure check, or the pill itself. NHS contraception is always free, with no prescription charge. More on how it works: getting the contraceptive pill free at a pharmacy.
Pharmacist runs through eligibility, explains how to take it, what to do if you miss a dose, when it starts working, and side effects to expect. You get printed take-home info and follow-up contact.
All four Oxford branches participate in the NHS Pharmacy Contraception Service.
Annual review for routine COC or POP – quicker if any concerns.
Emergency contraception is part of this same NHS contraception service – free, at all four branches, with no GP appointment and no prescription needed. Walk in or call your nearest branch. Full guide: the free morning after pill in Oxford.
It can shift it either way. The manufacturer’s information for levonorgestrel says most women have their next period within 5 to 7 days of the expected time, though it may come earlier or later, and bleeding can be temporarily unsettled. If your period is more than 5 days late, take a pregnancy test – we sell them and can talk the result through with you.
There is no limit on how many times you can use it over your lifetime, and it can be taken more than once in the same cycle if you need it. The manufacturer’s information does advise against repeated use within one cycle because it can unsettle your cycle, and it is worth knowing it does not protect you for any sex that happens after you take it. If you are needing it more than occasionally, start regular contraception instead – we can do that here, free, in the same visit.
Both types work mainly by delaying ovulation, so neither is reliable once the egg has already been released. Ulipristal acetate works later in the run-up than levonorgestrel: its manufacturer’s information reports that, taken when the LH surge has already begun, it postponed ovulation for at least 5 days in 78.6% of cases. Tell the pharmacist where you are in your cycle – if you may already have ovulated, an emergency coil fitted at a sexual health clinic works in a different way, and we will point you there.
Four Oxford branches · book any

Find your nearest branch.

MediPill Botley

📍 9 Westway Square, OX2 9TJ
🕒 Mon–Fri 8:30–5:30 · Sat 9–2
📞 01865 247 023
Book at this branch

Headington Pharmacy

📍 207 London Road, OX3 9JA
🕒 Mon–Fri 8:30–6 · Closed weekends
📞 01865 765 559
Book at this branch

MediPill Summertown

📍 227 Banbury Road, OX2 7HQ
🕒 Mon–Fri 9–6 · Sat 9–12
📞 01865 558 348
Book at this branch

MediPill Deddington

📍 The Studio, Hudson St, OX15 0SW
🕒 Mon–Fri 9–5:30 · Sat 9–12
📞 01869 337 583
Book at this branch

Book your contraception appointment.

Book online for a same-day slot at any of our four Oxford branches.
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