Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to find this really poor??

30 replies

MistressChalk · 31/05/2015 19:40

So this morning after dtd, DP and I realised that the condom had split (probably because it was a year or so old which I hadn't realised). I'm not on the pill or any other form of contraceptive so this now means I need to get the morning after pill, fine. Except our local sexual health clinic is only open on Wednesdays from 5-7pm... Why a Wednesday???? And I can never get a doctors appointment for blood nor money and there's literally no other family planning clinics etc. around locally everywhere would be a pricey train ticket or a 30 min drive into a busy town. I couldn't get anywhere on time anyway due to work. My only option is to buy it which is fine, I know I'm not owed it free. But my town has a huge school and college in it so AIBU to think that somewhere with plenty of young, sexually active people should have far more accessibility to a family planning or GUM clinic? And what about people who can't afford the costly £25 for a morning after pill? What would they do? Is it like this where you are??

OP posts:
Fairy13 · 31/05/2015 19:43

It's free in most pharmacies around here.

You have to see the pharmacist.

PHANTOMnamechanger · 31/05/2015 19:43

surely this would count as a "I need to see the GP today" emergency appointment? they might even do a phone consultation and leave the script for you to collect? thats what ours would do.

Trills · 31/05/2015 19:43

If you phone your doctor's surgery first thing in the morning and say it's an emergency, you WILL get an appointment.

They may ask why. You don't have to tell them, you can say it is a time-sensitive emergency, that you definitely need a doctor, and you NEED an appointment that morning.

They keep a certain number of appointments open for this kind of thing.

littleflick · 31/05/2015 19:45

30 min drive into a busy town is no big deal at all!

Roomba · 31/05/2015 19:45

Many pharmacies will provide the MAP free of charge, all you have to do is allow them to fill in a form with details of your GP, DOB, name etc. Check if any local to you do this - I had no idea about this until I needed the MAP and the pharmacist told me about the scheme.

Fairy13 · 31/05/2015 19:45

link to free pharmacy near you

Suefla62 · 31/05/2015 19:46

Buying it is a lot less than the cost of a child if you don't.

Sidge · 31/05/2015 19:46

Emergency contraception is a same day appointment. Call the GP surgery in the morning. You can also call 111 and they can advise of out of hours provision for obtaining emergency contraception. Some areas have walk in centres that wil issue it, or as a last resort A&E.

You can get it from pharmacies for free if you meet certain criteria (usually if you're under 25).

marriednotdead · 31/05/2015 19:48

Some A&E departments supply them too. Might be worth having a browse on the NHS Direct website where you can look up local options.

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 31/05/2015 19:48

The one way of guaranteeing a same day GP appointment is the phrase "emergency contraception".

Original poster
MistressChalk · 31/05/2015 19:49

Trills I've tried doing that when I accidentally dropped all my MH medication in the sink and they melted (idiot!), I was freaking out at the prospect of going without them but they still couldn't see me for days and the receptionist just gave me a bollocking which I didn't particularly need whilst having an anxiety attack. You can never be seen same day it seems! I will enquire at the pharmacy as to whether they do provide them for free though.

OP posts:
Fairy13 · 31/05/2015 19:51

Why would you waste NHS resources going to a&he or getting an emergency GP when, I repeat, it's free in many pharmacies. That's why they did it, to make it more accessible and free up the other services.

Fairy13 · 31/05/2015 19:52

Mistress, if you click on that link it will tell you which ones in your area do it.

Original poster
MistressChalk · 31/05/2015 19:57

Thanks Fairy, my local pharmacy is listed so I will see tomorrow but I asked my friend who got the MAP from there last year and she said she had to pay. To clarify, I have no issue with paying but I can afford it. My worry is more that in terms of sexual health clinics etc., our local area seems to be very lacking and I can see it being an issue for a lot of people.

OP posts:
ImperialBlether · 31/05/2015 20:02

Never mind other people at the moment - you can run a campaign later if you want.

Why weren't you at a supermarket pharmacy today? Surely you know you can get it free there?

Fairy13 · 31/05/2015 20:03

I agree.
It was a nightmare when I was a teenager in a small town but then when I got to uni they brought in the scheme.

I think you have to specifically ask for it and see the pharmacist, maybe that's why your friend had to pay?

CadieAgain · 31/05/2015 20:03

The link says it's free in some pharmacies but lists just pharmacies in your area. How do you know which are free?

Fairy13 · 31/05/2015 20:24

I would call first. The bigger ones like supermarkets and boots are a safe bet I think.

Original poster
MistressChalk · 31/05/2015 20:29

I never knew supermarkets do it free, how would I know? I spend half my life it seems hanging around doctors waiting rooms and have gone and got all the literature when I considered contraception. No one ever told me I could get MAP free from a supermarket pharmacy.

OP posts:
annatha · 31/05/2015 20:59

I was under the impression that it was free in any pharmacy as long as you took it in front of them? I've had it Lloyds pharmacy and a supermarket pharmacy on the Isle of Man. It's been years since I took it though so I might be wrong.

As others have said you might have to tell the receptionist but you would get a same day doctors (or maybe nurses) appointment for something like this.

Failing that, make time to go for it or cough up for it.

DoJo · 31/05/2015 21:17

I never knew supermarkets do it free, how would I know? I spend half my life it seems hanging around doctors waiting rooms and have gone and got all the literature when I considered contraception. No one ever told me I could get MAP free from a supermarket pharmacy.

I appreciate that it might not have been something you were aware of, but with regard to your concern about the younger people in your area, I imagine that they would google things like this as a matter of course and find out everything they needed to know within seconds. Access to this kind of information is freely available online now, so even someone who hasn't been explicitly told will stand a fairly good chance of being able to find out.

YsabellStoHelit · 31/05/2015 21:29

Since it has been available over the counter I suspect it now comes under the care of the chemist where pharmacists can dispense a limited amount of prescriptions. Basically if you ask for advice and physically speak to the pharmacist (they have private rooms for this) they can prescribe a limited number of things (often things like nit stuff for kids, basic painkillers etc) As contraceptives are always free prescriptions if prescribed in this way it should be free. As it is a script though they will need your doctors details and doc will get sent a record.

mappemonde · 31/05/2015 21:37

Young people may have better access to it than it seems too - many secondary schools, youth club etc have drop in contraception clinics run by school nurses but only for under 19s.

crazykat · 01/06/2015 13:33

It's all well and good saying "£25 is cheaper than a baby" but what if you just don't have that £25? Op was thinking about the teens in the area, I doubt many teens could find that amount instantly and there's no guarantee their parents could either, I know I couldn't.

Imo the MAP should be free full stop. Yes it's using nhs resources but so do unplanned pregnancies and I'm pretty sure it costs the nhs more to provide a termination or maternity care, not to mention care for the baby for life.

crazykat · 01/06/2015 13:35

It's only free from pharmacies if you're under 25.

Swipe left for the next trending thread