Background/introduction 80% of contraceptive care occurs in the general practice (GP) setting. UK Medical Eligibility Criteria (UKMEC) provides clear guidelines for the safe provision of appropriate contraception. The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) offer further recommendations for combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) initiation and continuation.

Aim(s)/objectives To establish if primary care COCP prescribing was compliant with national safety and best practice guidelines.

Methods The EMIS database of an average size, inner city GP surgery was used to analyse COCP consultations between 11/10/2015 and 11/01/2016.

Results 56 women aged 14–39 years were prescribed the COCP. In 41% of consultations there was substandard documentation of medical eligibility.

Discussion/conclusion The safety of COCP prescribing could be enhanced by improved application of UKMEC criteria. Promotion of safe sex was not undertaken despite high incidence of STIs and local availability of LARC options.