NHS Policy on Condoms!

[Lightworker]

Hi all, I gave birth to my LO 4 months ago and decided to use condoms till I have finished having my babies and then look to something more permanent. I rang up the sexual health clinic for condoms and they said I am entitled to 12 a month. I find this very unfair as people on the pill, implant etc get everything free and I find this very unfair. What if I want to DTD twice a day everyday (wishful thinking). I never take no for an answer but DH thinks Im being ridiculous but I like fairness. What you think?

 

[Laura2919]

I remember when I went to get my pill for the first time and they gave me a huge bag definitely a lot more than 12! Maybe people were taking the mic and having loads.
As for the implant. I have it but it only has to be done once every 3 years. I dont know how much they buy condoms for but maybe they average out to the total cost of the pill or something.
I dont know.

 

[tallybee]

I dunno, I sort of see the point... but you are still getting 12 free a month. Most people just buy them.

 

[babysimpson]

The NHS are doing a lot of cutbacks so expect to get less. I normally just buy them myself as then I can chose ones which my OH likes rather than the standard ones which can sometime feel too restricting for him.

 

[Lightworker]

Yes I know its easy enough to buy them and they dont cost the earth but my problem is if they are cutting back on condoms, the same should apply on other forms of contraception as well. I know they favour hormonal contraception to condoms hence them offering it at every available opportunity but condoms should be seen as a legitimate long-term contraceptive choice. Whats worse is they trying to tackle STIs yet they cant even maintain adequate supplies of condoms but will happily dole out the pill to girls.

 

[Laura2919]

Condoms are available to buy in supermarkets and chemists. You cant buy the implant, depo or pill. As far as I am aware. Maybe thats why. Because if your gonna get something for free most people are going to take it whether they need it or not.

 

[midori1999]

They can't exactly say 'well, you can have the pill, bit only for two weeks of the monnth' or 'you can have the depo injection, but only every other 12 weeks' can they?

You could choose another method of contraception, or you could buy your own condoms.

 

[Nibblenic]

Could be worse you can only get 4 vigra a month. Thats one a week.

As regaurds to the Pill. This last time I have only been able to get 3 monhs worth rather than my usual 6 or more months worth.

When we were using condoms I just bought them, then you at least get the type you want. Mybe is due to a stupi amount of teenagers just playing/messing with them or making water balloons or something

 

[Sarah10]

Theres always ebay for condoms they are good dates too and genuine with the CE mark/kitemark

 

[coccyx]

you need to take the pill regularly not just the day you have sex, so will obviously need more. Buy your own is what I say

 

[TattiesMum]

If you are under 25 you can get as many as you want from The Brooke - a sexual health charity https://www.brook.org.uk/

Also from BPAS and other sexual health charities which aren't NHS funded .... If you are on a low income and entitled to free prescriptions your GP will be able to give you a prescription for more than 12 a month.

At the end of the day giving away free condoms (as many as people need/want) is cheaper for the Gov't than providing pregnancy health care, child benefit, child health care etc for a baby.... which is the same principle upon which other forms of contraception are provided

I kind of agree with the OP - yes you can buy condoms anywhere but you can also get a private prescription for the pill etc and pay full price - But contraception in this country is supposed to be free.... AND bearing in mind that condoms protect from STIs (the treatment of which must cost far more than supplying condoms) then it makes no sense to limit the amount given out - it's a false economy surely?

 

[Lightworker]

YES! That is exactly what I mean. As I said before it is easy enough to buy them but it is the principle. If I have to buy the remaining required condoms, and if the NHS are truly committed to equality, then pill users should pay a subsidised rate for their pill to reflect the amount I am paying for the condoms. Thanks Tatties mom, I will check with my GP as I am 25. Where I live they even make you pay for consultations if you choose natural birth control, it seems they want as all on synthetic hormones.

 

[indy and lara]

TBH I would never have thought of asking for them free when we used to use them. Just bought them. When I was at uni they did have a drop in where you could get them for free but that was a very long time ago! Our GP does not push hormonal contraception and is quite happy to discuss and provide the diaphragm and non hormonal copper coil.

 

[BlackBerry25]

We get zero birth control for free in Canada. We pay for all of our prescription drugs or condoms...

 

[Nibblenic]

And I bet its more than £7:50 (or whatever it is now aswell)

 

[smokey]

Sorry if this annoys people but the way I see it is (in an ideal world) more people should be taking more responsability for themselfs rather then relying on a government to pay for choices and responsabilities they should be taking.

If I choose to have sex and I choose to not want to get pregnant from that sex then I choose to go and buy condoms.
Like I say though its all in an ideal world and I know its not all as black and white as that.

 

[Lightworker]

I am not in any way trying to absolve myself of my contraceptive responsibilities, if the NHS, decided that they were to cease funding on contraception all together I would be ok with it. The NHS have decided that they can afford to provide free contraception and thus, they should not re-define the term "free" to suit their ends, it should either be ALL FREE or NOTHING FOR FREE.

 

[Lightworker]

And pardon me if I am mistaken but I was under the impression that the NHS was funded largely through taxes and NI contributions and therefore surely as I have paid taxes it stands to reason that I have a right to question the services I am getting?! Surely it is only just, fair and democratic to have a say in the services we get seeing as we do not live, mercifully, in a dictatorship? Slightly infuriating TBH

 

[indy and lara]

While the NHS is funded by taxes, it is not a service whereby you can have anything you want, and never has been. The NHS does provide a range of contraceptive options, free at the point of use. If you choose to use a contraceptive method that they do not provide then I can understand why you are expected to pay for it. I would imagine that the other issues with condoms versus the pill/ coil/ etc is that who decides how many condoms are on a prescription? Do you get 3 a week? Will the people who want 7 a week complain? Do you get 7 a week, well what happens when you are on holiday and have sex more than once a day? Do you complain then? With other methods of contraception these issues do not come into the equation.

This is not restricted to condoms. When my Mum was dying, there were drugs that the NHS funded for her type of cancer. There were other drugs that they did not fund and if she chose to go down that route then she would have been expected to fund those herself. These decisions are made across the NHS at all levels and for many different conditions/ illnesses.

There is not an infinite pot of money and as people are generally unwilling to pay increased taxes, they do have to make decisions about what monies will and will not be spent on. Of course we can question why not supply condoms but for me, the NHS offer a variety of contraceptive methods to choose from and the line has to be drawn somewhere. Believe me, I do know all about how frustrating it can be when the treatment line is drawn and your life is affected by it.

 

[smokey]

And pardon me if I am mistaken but I was under the impression that the NHS was funded largely through taxes and NI contributions and therefore surely as I have paid taxes it stands to reason that I have a right to question the services I am getting?! Surely it is only just, fair and democratic to have a say in the services we get seeing as we do not live, mercifully, in a dictatorship? Slightly infuriating TBH

Yes they are but then why should people who also pay towards these services pay for others to be able to have sex more often?

This isnt just about the condom dispute(and also not aimed at you personaly) this is aimed at all services in general such as NHS and governament benafits.

Stop complaining about a free service and just be thankfull that you are getting that service, it could easily go the other way where you dont get anything.