FSRH responds to NHS Capturing Clinical Changes survey

This survey by NHS England and NHS Improvement looks at new and innovative ways of working that have been developed across the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our response we outline positive changes to SRH care during the pandemic, including remote consultations, prescriptions and medical collection systems, postpartum contraception, and telemedicine for abortion care.

We also examine the negative impact of COVID-19 on services for Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) and SRH care for vulnerable groups, and argue that the pandemic has exposed the inherent faults in the SRH commissioning system.

In order to sustain positive changes and ameliorate the negative impact of COVID-19 on SRH care, we make the following recommendations:

• Ensure SRH services are adequately funded.
• Ensure the availability of different modalities of consultation - face-to-face, remote and online.
• Allow home use of mifepristone and telemedicine for early medical abortion permanently, ensuring women have easy and timely access to this essential healthcare service.
• Include a LARC indicator within the Primary Care Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF).
• Introduce contraceptive care in maternity services consistently across the UK.
• Work together with the Department of Health and Social Care, local authorities and other commissioners to broadly integrate SRH into women’s healthcare pathways in the NHS going forward.

To read our full submission, click here.