Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the speech entitled Health and Social Care Secretary speech on Health Reform, published by his Department on 8 March 2022, what steps his Department is taking to provide funding for contraceptive provision in (a) primary care and (b) specialist sexual and reproductive health services.

Under the GP Contract, contraceptive services are an essential service which practices must provide or arrange for the provision of to their patients. Practices are paid for providing essential services via the global sum, which is a capitated payment based on practice patient list size, weighted to account for estimated patient workload and unavoidable costs. NHS England is currently piloting the management, review and supply of oral contraception from community pharmacy for people on a regime initiated in general practice or sexual health clinics, providing greater choice and access when considering continuing their current form of contraception.

The Government has provided more than £3.4 billion of ring-fenced funding to local authorities in England in 2022/23 to fund public health services, including contraceptive provision in specialist sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. It is for individual local authorities to determine spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including the need for SRH and contraceptive services taking account of statutory duties.