Press release: Friday 26 June 2026
Minister for Health publishes Bill to provide a legal basis for the provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses
The objective of the Bill is to enable the re-prescription of specified forms of contraception by pharmacists under defined circumstances, allowing women aged 17 and over to access repeat prescriptions, following an initial General Practitioner (GP) prescription, at their local community pharmacy.
The Bill will enable women eligible for the Free Contraception Scheme (FCS) to access the pharmacy prescription service, free of charge. Private patients not eligible under the FCS (for example, women aged 36 and over) will be able to access the service, subject to a locally determined fee. Clinical protocols will be finalised under subsequent secondary legislation to underpin the service. These protocols propose that women aged 17-39 will need to return to their GP, at a minimum, once every five years; those aged 40 and over will need to attend their GP once every two years. Patients deemed high risk and those for whom long-acting reversible contraception is the best choice will remain under the care of their GP.
Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD said:
“I warmly welcome the publication of this Bill, which represents a significant step forward in how we deliver care in our communities. It sets out the enabling provisions needed to expand the role of pharmacists, empowering them to provide enhanced services and play a more integrated part in patient care. Crucially, this will allow patients to access the right care, faster and closer to home, improving convenience, and strengthening the delivery of healthcare in our communities.”
Should the Bill successfully pass through all the required stages of the legislative process and be formally approved, work will begin on developing the necessary secondary legislation to support the delivery and governance of the service. In advance of implementation, training, guidelines, and protocols will be developed to support pharmacists in delivering this new service.
It is envisaged that this service will provide better access, convenience, and savings for the public and will improve access to GP services, enabling more of their time spent on more complex care. The Bill has been warmly welcomed by pharmacists through the Community Pharmacy Agreement 2025.