Primary care groups in Derbyshire have funded the supply of Levonelle-2 by community pharmacists under patient group directions (PGDs).
Protocols for the supply were approved by Southern Derbyshire health authority in May (PJ, May 13, p712), but the HA decided to put the scheme on hold until PGDs became legal. The scheme went live on August 9.
Ms Rebekah Cook (community pharmacy adviser, Southern Derbyshire HA) told The Journal on August 21 that participating pharmacists had been paid £50 to attend an evening training session. Apart from that, the scheme was to be paid for from the PCGs' health improvement plan budgets. Pharmacists were to be paid £10 for each consultation undertaken. It was a requirement for participation that pharmacies had a place away from their shop floors, where undisturbed 10-minute consultations could take place, although this did not have to be a purpose-built consultation room.
The scheme would be reassessed if Levonelle-2 were to be reclassified as a pharmacy medicine, Ms Cook went on. Although P sale was likely to be restricted to women aged 16 years and above, reclassification would raise issues of equity with regard to who would have to pay for the product and who would get it free.