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Contraceptives

Answer

NHS Digital publishes annual data on activity in sexual and reproductive health services in England. The most recent data shows that:

- during 2016/17, 871,000 women contacted sexual and reproductive health services on one or more occasions for reasons of contraception. This number had been rising up until 2014/15, but has since fallen for two consecutive years;

- the percentage of women using long-acting reversible contraceptives has remained stable in recent years, increasing from 37% in 2014/15 to 39% in 2016/17.

In 2017/18, Public Health England (PHE) will produce a State of the Nation Report for Reproductive Health, which will highlight delivery of contraception, including long-acting reversible contraception, in England using currently routinely collected data as well as large nationally-representative surveys.

Ensuring people have access to the full range of contraception and can obtain their chosen method quickly and easily is a key principle of effective contraception services.

PHE published an action plan in August 2017 to address concerns identified in their report Sexual Health, Reproductive Health and HIV: A Review of Commissioning, which includes issues affecting the provision of contraception. As part of the action plan, PHE will take forward a range of activities aimed at strengthening commissioning, including providing evidence and data to commissioners to support commissioning and the monitoring of outcomes and building capacity and capability in sexual and reproductive health commissioning.

The full action plan is attached.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

HL1815

Session

2017-19

Attachment

Sexual health action plan

Grouped for answer

Yes

Subjects

Contraceptives Fees and charges Local government Out of area treatment

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk