Wednesday 15th April 2026
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, BPAS, has welcomed the government’s updated Women’s Health Strategy for England, highlighting its renewed focus on improving access to abortion and contraception, alongside commitments to strengthen evidence-based care and service delivery.
The strategy includes a number of significant measures aimed at improving reproductive healthcare, including action to support the sustainability of abortion services through changes to NHS funding and commissioning, and a requirement for Integrated Care Boards to implement national abortion commissioning guidance within the next year.
On contraception, the government has committed to expanding access, including ensuring all women can obtain emergency contraception free of charge from pharmacies and improving access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) within two years.
The strategy also reinforces the importance of research and evidence in shaping care, with continued investment in the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health, extended to 2028 to support research into contraception, abortion care, and reproductive decision-making.
BPAS welcomed recognition within the strategy of ongoing barriers to contraception, with the charity’s research cited on the challenges many women face in accessing their preferred method. BPAS also acknowledged the significant programme of work that has been developed by NHS England to improve access to abortion care, stressing the importance of maintaining this momentum.
Heidi Stewart, Chief Executive of BPAS, said:
“This strategy represents important progress in recognising abortion and contraception as fundamental components of women’s healthcare. For too long, women’s health has been overlooked, underfunded and marginalised, and it is welcome to see this addressed.
“The commitments on service sustainability, workforce development, and improving access to contraception are all positive steps forward, alongside the clear emphasis on evidence-led policy and clinical innovation. NHS England has developed a significant programme of work in this area, and it’s important that this momentum is maintained by the DHSC.
“The focus on research is particularly encouraging. Through our own Centre for Reproductive Research & Communication, we know that high-quality evidence can shape better care and deepen understanding of women’s experiences and needs.
“However, strategies alone do not deliver change. We stand ready to work with government and our partners across the NHS to turn these commitments into action so that every woman, wherever she lives, can access timely, high-quality abortion and contraceptive care when she needs to.”
ENDS
For further comment, please contact Katherine O’Brien, Head of Campaigns and Communications at BPAS, on 07881 265276 or email katherine.obrien@bpas.org
About BPAS
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, BPAS, is a charity that sees over 100,000 women a year for reproductive healthcare services including pregnancy counselling, abortion care, miscarriage management and contraception at clinics across Great Britain.
BPAS exists to further women’s reproductive choices. We believe women are best placed to make their own decisions about contraception, pregnancy, abortion and birth. Women deserve evidence-based information on which to make their choices and we campaign for comprehensive reproductive healthcare services to enable them to exercise those choices.
BPAS also runs the Centre for Reproductive Research and Communication, CRRC. Through rigorous multidisciplinary research and impactful communication, the CRRC aims to inform policy, practice, and public discourse. You can find out more here.