Contraception Prescribing Service

Page updated 7 August 2026

What is the Contraception Prescribing Service?  

 A new pharmacy service, the Contraception Prescribing Service, is being developed. This service will enable pharmacists to provide repeat prescriptions for specified forms of contraception to women aged 17 years and over, following an initial prescription from a GP. 

The primary legislation to enable the service, the Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Act 2026, has been signed into law. 

The Contraception Prescribing Service will mirror the regulatory framework in place for the Common Conditions Service. The Department of Health, the PSI, HSE and others are progressing the various enablers for the service - the legislation, clinical protocols, guidance and training needed for this new pharmacy service to be established in community pharmacies.  

As with implementation of the Common Conditions Service, the PSI’s role is to ensure that pharmacists have the necessary education and training and regulatory guidance available to them to deliver a safe and effective contraception prescribing service for patients. 

Pharmacists intending to deliver the Contraception Prescribing Service will be required to successfully complete an online training programme, which will be available through the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIOP). The proposed training approach for the Contraception Prescribing Service is in line with the training for the Common Conditions Service. The standards for pharmacist training are set out in the draft PSI (Education and Training Required to Prescribe Medicinal Products in Accordance with the Contraception Prescribing Service) Rules 2026.   

The PSI has also updated the Guidelines to support safe implementation of the Common Conditions Service in pharmacies to incorporate the requirements for new Contraception Prescribing Service, as both services follow the same regulatory framework. 

A public consultation will shortly provide the option to consider both the proposed Education and Training rules and revised Guidelines.

Related Information  

A number of changes to pharmacy practice are being introduced to expand the range of pharmacy services available to patients and the public in Ireland. Read more about the expansion of pharmacy services.