LONDON (Reuters) ¿ Women could be able to get the contraceptive pill from their chemist without a prescription, a health minister said last week.

Lord Darzi, a leading surgeon brought into Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government, said the programme could be piloted among pharmacists or nurses.

The pill is currently available only with a prescription from a doctor, although most pharmacies are able to provide the "morning-after pill" without a doctor's authorisation.

Darzi suggested women could be given the oral contraceptive after a full assessment by a trained health professional.

He said it was wrong to suggest the contraceptive pill was being made available over the counter. "What we might pilot is a process by which pharmacists or nurses carry out a full assessment process before supplying the pill under arrangements equivalent to prescribing," he said.

"At this stage there is no commitment to roll this out and we will need a full evaluation before we do."

The Department of Health said pharmacies could play an increased role in the provision of contraception and other sexual health services, because of their accessibility and convenient opening hours.

But it added: "We will work with the pharmacy profession to ensure robust standard setting and appropriate training to ensure pharmacists are competent to safely provide this service."