Drugs
There’s a list of free contraceptives listed in part 10 of Part XVI of the Drug Tariff.
All items on this list are automatically exempt from a prescription charge.
There are other products not listed in the Drug Tariff, which can be given as a free of charge contraceptive.
A prescriber must mark the item with the female symbol or endorse the item in another way which makes it clear the prescription is for contraceptive purposes.
The prescriber could do this by endorsing:
- the female symbol ♀
- contraceptive
- CC
- CU
- OC
If there’s no endorsement by the prescriber, the normal prescription charge will apply.
For EPS2 prescriptions, the prescriber must include the endorsement ‘CC’ in the ‘Prescriber Endorsement’ field. This is for all items which are for contraceptive purposes, but not automatically exempt.
Appliances
A list of free contraceptive appliances or devices can be found in Part IXA of the Drug Tariff. They’re listed under contraceptive devices.
It includes entries for:
- Intrauterine Contraceptive Device
- Vaginal Contraceptive Caps (Pessaries)
The drugs and appliances that are free of charge contraceptives, will show on the dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d) as attracting 0 charges.
This can be viewed under the 'Actual Medicinal Product Pack' page, under the 'Reimbursement Information' heading.