Investigating the potential accessibility to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis via community pharmacies and sexual health clinics: a scoping review of two integrated care systems in London
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Published version
Author(s)
Alaa, Aos
Mujong, Datapwa
Alter, Marsha
Lakhani, Shivali
El-Osta, Austen
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Despite advancements in HIV prevention, barriers and disparities in accessing Pre-22 exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) from specialist services persist. Community pharmacies, with their extensive reach, offer an opportunity to reduce these disparities and help end new HIV infections
Objective
This study aims to investigate the accessibility of HIV PrEP through community pharmacies and sexual health clinics (SHCs) across two London Integrated Care Systems (ICS). We also sought to assess the potential for community pharmacies to enhance access to PrEP and to address existing gaps in PrEP provision to gauge the potential for community pharmacies to facilitate easier access to PrEP.
Methods
We mapped the distribution of pharmacies, PrEP clinics, and SHCs across 11 local authority areas in London, covering North West London ICS and three catchment areas from North Central London ICS using publicly available data, including postcode data. Our selection process for sources of evidence was guided by a set of predefined criteria aimed at identifying community pharmacies and SHCs within the targeted ICSs for their relevance to HIV PrEP accessibility. Two reviewers systematically charted data from each included source. Information extracted included the name of the pharmacy or clinic, address, contact details and operating hours.
Results
Our data collection, spanning from April to July 2022, included 692 community pharmacies. The study revealed that 543 (78.5%) of these pharmacies offered sexual health services, with a significant proportion categorised at Tier 2 according to the Umbrella Sexual Health Model, indicating they are well-positioned to offer PrEP services. The mapping showed an uneven distribution of PrEP and sexual health clinics, with community pharmacies widely accessible and offering longer service hours.
Conclusion
The findings highlight the critical role community pharmacies could play in providing PrEP, addressing gaps in accessibility, and reducing HIV transmission risks, thus potentially facilitating easier access to PrEP. This study supports the need for policy adjustments to enable community pharmacies to dispense PrEP, aligning with public health goals for broader access to HIV preventative measures.
Despite advancements in HIV prevention, barriers and disparities in accessing Pre-22 exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) from specialist services persist. Community pharmacies, with their extensive reach, offer an opportunity to reduce these disparities and help end new HIV infections
Objective
This study aims to investigate the accessibility of HIV PrEP through community pharmacies and sexual health clinics (SHCs) across two London Integrated Care Systems (ICS). We also sought to assess the potential for community pharmacies to enhance access to PrEP and to address existing gaps in PrEP provision to gauge the potential for community pharmacies to facilitate easier access to PrEP.
Methods
We mapped the distribution of pharmacies, PrEP clinics, and SHCs across 11 local authority areas in London, covering North West London ICS and three catchment areas from North Central London ICS using publicly available data, including postcode data. Our selection process for sources of evidence was guided by a set of predefined criteria aimed at identifying community pharmacies and SHCs within the targeted ICSs for their relevance to HIV PrEP accessibility. Two reviewers systematically charted data from each included source. Information extracted included the name of the pharmacy or clinic, address, contact details and operating hours.
Results
Our data collection, spanning from April to July 2022, included 692 community pharmacies. The study revealed that 543 (78.5%) of these pharmacies offered sexual health services, with a significant proportion categorised at Tier 2 according to the Umbrella Sexual Health Model, indicating they are well-positioned to offer PrEP services. The mapping showed an uneven distribution of PrEP and sexual health clinics, with community pharmacies widely accessible and offering longer service hours.
Conclusion
The findings highlight the critical role community pharmacies could play in providing PrEP, addressing gaps in accessibility, and reducing HIV transmission risks, thus potentially facilitating easier access to PrEP. This study supports the need for policy adjustments to enable community pharmacies to dispense PrEP, aligning with public health goals for broader access to HIV preventative measures.
Date Issued
2025-07-01
Date Acceptance
2025-05-29
Citation
BMC Health Services Research, 2025, 25
ISSN
1472-6963
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
BMC Health Services Research
Volume
25
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1186/s12913-025-12985-2
Subjects
HIV
PrEP
Community pharmacy
Sexual health clinics
London
Access to care
Public health
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
878
Date Publish Online
2025-07-01