Adult toy and lingerie business Lovehoney has become “the first retailer to offer a fully online NHS-funded contraception service free of charge”, the company yesterday announced (May 8).
The move comes as part of a partnership with healthcare technology provider Evaro, which holds “Care Quality Commission (CQC), General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and NHS licences simultaneously”, it said.
Read more: Pharmacies to offer free morning-after pill from October
Lovehoney added that its collaboration with Evaro, which uses “AI-driven asynchronous consultations”, will allow customers “to access NHS and private prescription treatments for up to 80 conditions”.
In addition to offering treatment for these conditions, which include ED and UTIs, the new “Lovehoney prescriptions” service offers “free” NHS contraception, it said.
“Within 48 hours”
“By embedding Evaro’s healthcare technology directly into Lovehoney’s platform, users can complete asynchronous GP consultations in minutes,” Lovehoney said.
Patients can then “receive prescribed medications delivered to their door within 48 hours” – “with no need to visit a pharmacy or GP in person”, it added.
The “AI-powered healthcare platform” offers “two-minute digital consultations and smartphone blood pressure checks”, it said.
Read more: Inside the online pharmacy growing weight loss scripts by the thousands
And patients have “direct access to Evaro’s healthcare professionals when needed”, it added.
Evaro follows “rigorous safety protocols including GP notifications and comprehensive aftercare”, Lovehoney stressed.
“The platform manages all aspects of healthcare delivery, including ongoing clinical support and education to help patients better understand and manage their health conditions,” it said.
“Blend pleasure and education”
Lovehoney UK, Ireland and North America director James Rose said that the company’s mission “has always been to blend pleasure with education, creating a safe space for sexual wellness and knowledge to flourish”.
“With hundreds of thousands of community members already trusting us for intimate health advice, adding NHS-integrated healthcare services through Evaro is a natural evolution,” he added.
“This partnership brings together our expertise in sexual wellness education with regulated healthcare access,” he said.
Read more: Quarter of England pharmacies signed up to offer new contraception service
He added that the move helps users “take control of their sexual health in the same trusted, safe, discreet environment they already know”.
It comes as the government announced in March that the morning-after pill will become “available free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS for the first time ever” as part of new contract arrangements.
Also that month, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) revealed that requirements for pharmacies to “bundle” the pharmacy contraception service (PCS), the hypertension case-finding service (HCFS) and Pharmacy First services had been changed.
Read more: Pharmacy First, contraception and BP ‘bundling’ delayed
To receive the monthly Pharmacy First payment, CPE said that pharmacies “will need to be registered to provide the PCS and HCFS” as well as achieving “the relevant volume of clinical pathway consultations” from June.
Then from October, they must also deliver “at least one” ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) provision per month.
And “from March 2026, a specified number of contraception consultations – to be agreed by CPE, DH and NHSE in due course – will also need to be provided each month,” the negotiator added.
