Partnerships

Project Title

The Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network HRT Pilot

Organisations Involved

The Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network HRT Pilot was a collaborative working project between Besins Healthcare UK Ltd. and Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network

Summary

This project aimed to address unmet needs and variation in menopause services by implementing a pharmacist-led menopause service in primary care. This was supported by the MAARS (Menopause Access, Assessment and Review Service) toolkit which is a set of resources that assists in the set up and running of a menopause clinic.

Background: NHS menopause services showed large gaps in access, inequity across patient groups and limited GP capacity. The project aligned with the Women’s Health Strategy (2022)¹.

Objectives:

• Address unmet needs and reduce variation in access to services by using Clinical Pharmacists in General Practice to set up and lead menopause services.

• Support patient satisfaction, improve health outcomes, address inequalities and improve access to services and resources enabling patients to be confident to participate in decisions regarding symptom management.

   

Delivery: The MAARS toolkit was developed and funded by Besins Healthcare UK Ltd. and implemented by the Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network. Clinical Pharmacists and the wider teams received training in the form of jointly supported menopause workshops, mentorship provided by monthly sessions with a Menopause specialist funded by Besins Healthcare UK Ltd. and on-the-day support from the relevant duty doctors as required.

Timeline: The project began in May 2024 and ran until December 2024 with results evaluated in early 2025.

Changes: The MAARS toolkit and training were adapted based on early feedback. Additional mentorship and educational updates were added mid-project.

Outcomes

Shared Vision: There was a modest increase in the number of women prescribed HRT between March and December 2024, with variability across practices. The highest observed increase was approximately 5%. While this reflects a steady overall rise, the most encouraging progress was seen in areas of higher deprivation, where HRT prescribing increased at a proportionally greater rate compared to areas of lower deprivation (based on local deprivation quintiles). This demonstrated the pilot’s effectiveness in improving access for women who have historically faced greater barriers to care. In addition to reducing health inequalities, the pilot supported the development of workforce capabilities, thereby contributing to the creation of much-needed capacity within primary care. Where variances occurred (e.g., inconsistent data capture, service uptake across practices), these were addressed with training and governance measures by the NHS partners.

Collaborative Value: The project enabled the creation, rollout, and piloting of the MAARS toolkit, structured pharmacist-led clinics, and governance that individual parties alone could not have delivered. Collaboration amplified training reach, improved consistency, and addressed inequalities effectively.

Contributions: All partners contributed as agreed. Besins Healthcare UK Ltd. provided funding for the creation of the MAARS toolkit, training and project support; Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network supplied pharmacists, governance and implementation. Variances in uptake by practices were addressed through mentoring and shared learning in addition to support from The Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network. In the end, most practices established menopause clinics, be it standalone clinics or within the medication review clinics, to enable better utilisation of resources and capacity.

Overarching benefits to all parties:

• Patients benefited from improved access, shared decision-making, and better review rates.
• PCNs benefited from reduced GP workload, more structured menopause reviews and increased HCP confidence.
• Besins Healthcare UK Ltd. demonstrated the value of its toolkit, contributing to health system goals and access to HRT.

Relationships & Trust: Trust was positive and maintained throughout, with evidence of strong interdisciplinary working and good uptake of mentorship.

Differences Managed: Variability in service uptake and prescribing was managed through shared templates, governance, and further training.

Commissioning & Scaling: The project generated data to support commissioning of pharmacist-led menopause services and demonstrated potential for wider rollout of the MAARS toolkit.

Benefits Received

Patients:

• More timely menopause reviews and personalised care.
• Improved confidence in treatment choices.
• Improved equity of access across different deprivation and ethnicity groups.

NHS:

• Increased menopause reviews (from 134 in 2023–24 to 367 in 2024).
• Modest increases in HRT prescribing were observed across the PCN between March and December 2024 with proportionally greater rates seen in areas of higher deprivation compared to areas of lower deprivation.
• Released GP capacity by enabling pharmacists to lead clinics.
• Improved staff awareness and interdisciplinary working.

Besins Healthcare UK Ltd.:

• Piloted and refined the MAARS toolkit.
• Strengthened reputation as a partner in women’s health.

• Supported broader patient access to hormone treatments in line with local guidance, which may have included Besins Healthcare UK Ltd. therapies.

   

Funding and Resources

Besins Healthcare UK Ltd.: Provided the MAARS toolkit, non-clinical training, menopause mentorship support, project management and educational resources.

Croydon PCN: Supplied pharmacists, GP oversight, practice infrastructure and administrative support.

Shared Resources: Governance, training events, data collection and implementation support were jointly resourced.

Conclusion & Lessons Learnt

The Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network HRT Pilot demonstrated that a pharmacist-led menopause model is feasible, improves access and quality of care and supports NHS workforce pressures. It aligns with the Women’s Health Strategy and has clear potential for scale-up across other PCNs and ICSs.

Conclusion: The Croydon GP Supernet Primary Care Network HRT Pilot demonstrated that a pharmacist-led menopause model is feasible, improves access and quality of care and supports NHS workforce pressures. It aligns with the Women’s Health Strategy and has clear potential for scale-up across other PCNs and ICSs.

Lessons Learnt:

• Standardised templates and consistent data capture are critical for evaluation.
• Mentorship and peer support improve clinician confidence and sustain engagement.
• Targeted outreach is needed to engage underserved groups (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, Learning Disabilities [LD], Severe Mental Illness [SMI]).
• Early buy-in from practices and clear governance improves uptake.

• Collaboration between industry and NHS partners can deliver more than either could alone, provided transparency and mutual benefit are maintained.

   

Publications: No additional publications planned outside of this outcomes summary.

References:

1. Department of Health and Social Care (2022) Women's Health Strategy for England. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/womens-health-strategy-for-england. Last accessed in December 2025