Around 300 women in Ipswich are having to wait up to three months to receive their contraception, as pandemic delays cause lengthy backlogs.

At the Integrated Contraception and Sexual Health (iCaSH) Ipswich clinic, approximately 300 women are waiting for long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), which includes the contraceptive injection, the contraceptive implant and the coil.

The average waiting time for routine LARC is up to 12 weeks, which includes a nine-10 week wait for a clinical appropriateness pre-assessment and a follow-up appointment for the required procedure one to two weeks later.

iCaSH head Ellen Ballantyne said: "We continue to work extremely hard to address waiting times and have increased clinical capacity wherever possible. We sincerely apologise to all those affected."

Those considered a priority for LARC, alongside women seeking emergency contraception, will be seen immediately rather than joining the waiting list.

If clinically required, alternative bridging methods of contraception such as condoms and oral contraceptives are being offered to those experiencing delays.

Ms Ballantyne said a significant increase in demand was partly caused by a reduction of face-to-face services during the pandemic.

She added: "In parallel with these reduced services, which were in line with national recommendations at the time, more people are choosing to access contraception services from our iCaSH clinics who may previously have accessed these via their GP or other provider."

Andy Yacoub, chief executive of local health and social care organisation Healthwatch Suffolk, said: "Everyone has the right to reproductive autonomy, as well as the ability to choose the type of contraception and appointment setting that suits them best.

"It is essential that access to long-acting reversible contraception is as immediately accessible as possible and that includes the time it takes to get an appointment."

Mr Yacoub commented that many health and care organisations are playing catch-up with unmet demand from the pandemic, saying that both staff and the health system are "fatigued".

He added: "That said, we know that Suffolk's Health and Overnight Scrutiny Committee had some concerns in August 2020. The committee was then worried with what they considered to be a fragmentation of commissioning responsibilities for sexual and reproductive health services.

"Good communication and reassurance are essential while managing expectations, coupled with the offer of positive advice and guidance to ensure people are fully supported in the short-term while they wait."