The proportion of women in Bolton on long-term contraception has fallen by more than a third following the pandemic, new figures show.

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities figures show 25.3 per 1,000 women in Bolton aged between 15 and 44 were prescribed long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) in 2022 – which includes the non-hormonal copper coil, hormonal coil, and the hormonal implant.

This was significantly down from 40.2 in 2019 and a decrease from 30.7 per 1,000 women the year before.

Across England, 44.1 per 1,000 women had a prescription for LARC in 2022. It was up from 41.8 per 1,000 women in 2021 but remained below pre-pandemic levels of 49.2 per 1,000.

In Bolton, 31.3 per 1,000 women aged under 25 and 69.6 per 1,000 women aged over 25 cited a form of LARC as their main method of contraception in 2022.

Meanwhile, across England, the proportion of women prescribed short acting combined hormonal contraception in 2022 was 8.1 per 1,000, meaning it halved compared to a rate of 16.1 in 2019.

The figure stood at 5.3 per 1,000 women in Bolton – down from 7.6 three years prior.

A Bolton Council spokesperson said: “The local authority are local commissioners of Specialist Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Bolton and LARC (long acting reversible contraception which includes the non-hormonal copper coil, hormonal coil, and the hormonal implant) services which are offered via contracted GPs.

“As commissioners of the elements of contraceptive services we are aware that the take up of LARC in Bolton has come down and that this is similar to the trend seen across the country.

“We have recently retendered our Specialist Sexual and Reproductive Health Services which is provided by Bolton Foundation NHS Trust via a new contract which started in January 2024.

“This has provided a new opportunity to work together with our Trust colleagues to ensure that the redesigned SHINE service offer promotes a range of contraception methods as well as additional support and training for GPs who express an interest in delivering the LARC service across Bolton.

“We are working with local GPs with a view to increasing delivery of LARC within our local neighbourhoods and we continue to work closely with our colleagues within our local NHS and across the GM Sexual Health Network and to improve take up opportunities with regards to various methods of contraception as part a push locally, regionally and nationally to prioritise women’s health.”   

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Ben Squires, Director of Primary Care at NHS Greater Manchester said: “NHS Greater Manchester works closely with its partners across the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership.

"We know that Bolton Local Authority, who commission this service, are working with local GPs with a view to increasing delivery of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) within our local neighbourhoods and we support them to continue to work closely with colleagues within the local NHS and across the GM Sexual Health Network.”

MSI Reproductive Choices, a non-governmental organisation providing reproductive healthcare, said while Covid-19 added pressure on healthcare services, many of the issues go back even further, with sexual and reproductive healthcare severely underfunded.

Simphiwe Sesane, MSI Reproductive Choice's UK contraceptive and sexual health nurse consultant, said sexual and reproductive healthcare has been overstretched since before the pandemic.

She added: “A perfect storm of cuts, fragmented commissioning and an ageing workforce moving into retirement mean all too often I speak to people who have become pregnant while on contraception waiting lists. It’s simply not good enough.

“Finding the right contraception is transformative, yet too many are still struggling to get the information and support they need, particularly for long-acting methods like the coil and implant.

“These are some of the most effective ways of preventing unintended pregnancy and lack of access will no doubt be contributing to the unprecedented demand we are seeing for abortion care.”

Dr Janet Barter, president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, said: “Access to the full range of contraceptive methods, including LARC, is a fundamental right.

“A combination of funding cuts and fragmented commissioning services means that care is not structured around women’s needs, negatively affecting access to essential healthcare.

“We call on the Government to take urgent action to address these barriers. It is crucial that everyone in need of contraception can access comprehensive care wherever and whenever they choose to.”

The Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, spoke at the Woman's Health Summit in January and provided updates on the Women's Health Strategy 2024 priorities.

She said: “We should be able to control when and if we fall pregnant. We have therefore made contraception more accessible through our Pharmacy First programme.

“From December, oral contraception is now available on more high streets, using our pharmacists to their full potential - making it faster, simpler, and fairer for women to access this healthcare.

“We will also roll out long-lasting contraception through women’s health hubs.”

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