Learn more about sexual health services in the UK. What they are, where they are, what they do and what going for a check up or a chat at a clinic is like.
Coronavirus update. A lot of sexual health services are having to reduce their services. Check out what your local services say about it on their websites (see below). Many of them are able to offer online consultations. Some offer services in their clinics but are appointment only and please don’t leave your house if you have symptoms of COVID-19. At this time it’s even more important that you have safer sex. Here’s a guide to Safer Sex and Covid-19.
Find your nearest sexual health services
Here’s where you can find services in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales. I’m also collecting a list of local websites in the UK here here (or scroll down).
In the UK we are pretty lucky to have free and confidential sexual health services for young people. You can get free condoms, emergency contraception, contraception, STI check-ups, pregnancy testing, impartial advice about pregnancy options, abortions (not usually in Northern Ireland though), counselling, advice, cervical screening, testicular checks. All free and confidential with no prescription charges. Good eh?
Self Test Kits
All of this is about actually going to a sexual health service, however (since I first wrote this) you can now also get self testing kits posted to you. This involves peeing in small pot and/or taking a little prick of blood, or a swab from the inside of your mouth. One such (free and confidential) service is SH:24, check it out!
First time worries
People worry about going to a sexual health clinic for the first time. Often it’s the first time that they’ve been to a service by themselves. There are lots of scare stories about what will happen (many of which aren’t true). Also there’s a lot of stigma around sex. Staff at these clinics are trained to be sensitive around these issues. Services for young people are particularly friendly and welcoming for young people. So try not to worry too much. It’s totally fine for you to bring a friend or family member with you if you like.
Young people clinics
Most places have clinics where young people go for a range of sexual health services. They’re all called something different but usually have ‘yoof’ branding on their posters and might be called something like ‘4YP’. Inside they’ll have a radio on, probably some magazines and strategic pot plants.
They all work towards the same standards to provide friendly and safe services for young people (this is called ‘You’re Welcome’). They are usually open after school or at weekends. The staff are trained to work with young people, to make them feel at ease, to take their time with them. Often they are tested by young people (as ‘mystery shoppers’) to see how good they are.
Brook
Brook is a organisation that offers free and confidential sexual health services to young people under 25. They are excellent. There are Brook centres around the country so there may be one near you. www.brook.org.uk
Condoms schemes
If you just want condoms you don’t have to go to a clinic. Lots of places have local condom distribution schemes or C-Card schemes where you can easily get hold of some from lots of different places like youth clubs, advice centres and even pharmacists.
Pharmacists
You can buy condoms, emergency contraception, pregnancy tests and even get home testing kits for STIs from pharmacists – also known as chemists. However sometimes they can provide these things for free to young people. They normally have a little private room so you can have a chat too. So it’s worth checking out to see if there’s one near you doing this kind of thing.
Adult clinics and GPs
If there isn’t a young people’s clinic near you then you can still go to an ‘adult’ clinic. These services can be found in local clinics and at hospitals. Some do more of a contraception and pregnancy testing thing and others offer check ups for sex infections. However in many areas, clinics are starting to offer all services in one place.
Lots of people go to their GP for sexual health services because it’s convenient and local. Others don’t like to because they worry about their family finding out. GPs have to offer confidential services to their patients, even those under 16, so you should be able to go to them if you want to.
Free
All services are absolutely free. There are no prescription charges for treatment, contraception, condoms anything. If you go to a sexual health service emergency contraception is free. You can buy it (if you’re the one that needs it) from pharmacists for about £25 (though many give it away for free to teens, so do ask).
Confidential
All services are confidential – this means that they aren’t allowed to tell anyone that they’ve seen you. At the service I used to work at (before the funding was cut, *sobs forever*), I would have got sacked if I did. Services take confidentiality very very seriously (if people think they blab about them then they might not come) and this is true even if someone is under 16. The only time they have to tell someone they’ve seen you is if they think you are at really serious risk of harm.
They don’t tell your parents
Young people are encouraged to speak to their parents/carer or trusted adult in their lives. Often young people attend services with this person. Clinics can give under 16s treatment without their parents knowledge if it is in the best interests of the young person and they couldn’t be persuaded to tell their parent.
High quality service
Services want you to have a good visit. This is because they value you but also because they want your return custom, they want you to tell your friends how cool they were and they want to continue seeing, educating and treating you. Lots of clinics ask for your feedback
If you’re not happy with your visit please say so: feedback helps to improve the service.
When you first arrive
When you arrive you don’t have to tell people what you want, they usually have a check list of services available which you can tick and hand back to the reception. Depending on the service you go to you will probably have to give some details about you. This might include your name and address, usually you are given a check box to say if you don’t want people to contact you at home (they ve24th Aprilry rarely write to you, they like to contact you via your mobile if you have one).
There will be a wait (up to 30/60 mins) so make sure your phone’s charged so you aren’t bored – there will usually be magazines and music. Then a member of staff will ask to see you privately, where they’ll explain who they are and what they do.
STI check ups
If you are going for an STI check-up you will usually be asked some personal questions about the kind of sex that you’ve had and with whom – this is so they can work out if you need a check-up and which ones they recommend. You will never be forced into having any test and everything will be explained in advance.
Tests include a urine test (this is for the most common infections and it’s all some people need to do – don’t pee an hour before going to the clinic) or a vaginal swab (this is like a large cotton bud which is inserted into the vagina, you can do this yourself if you like). Rarely a very small swab (much much smaller than a cotton bud) can be taken from the tip of the penis, but this is optional. Blood tests (usually just a finger prick for a few drops of blood) are available to check for some infections. A doctor or nurse might also ask (politely) to look at your genitals. You’ll be told when your results will be available and how you can find them out. All treatments are free.
Contraception
If you are wanting to get contraception you will usually chat to a reproductive sexual health nurse. They will ask you various questions about your health and will take blood pressure tests and find out your height and weight. A nurse or doctor will advise you on what contraception you can use and can recommend which they think might suit you the best. They will also teach you about how to use your new contraception.
Pregnancy test and choices
Worried that you are pregnant? If you’ve had penis in vagina sex and your period is a couple of weeks late (periods are often late for other reasons) then you can get a free pregnancy test from a sexual health clinic (though you can also buy very accurate tests from a pharmacist). If you are pregnant it can be a shock.
Staff at clinics I’ve referred to here are trained to support you and to talk you through your three choices: continue the pregnancy, fostering/adoption or abortion (ending the pregnancy, which is legal and safe before 24 weeks). These are totally your choices and you won’t be pressured into any of them. If you decide on continuing with pregnancy you can be referred for ante-natal care. If you decide on abortion you can be referred for an appointment at an abortion clinic.
Some places offer free pregnancy tests but don’t give impartial advice – these are anti-choice (or ‘pro-life’) centres who don’t agree that women should be able to choose abortion. These centres often have the word ‘life’ in their name and I think they should be avoided.
Sexual Assault
You can go to a sexual health service if you want to talk to someone about a sexual assault or rape. However you can also go to a sexual assault referral centre near you. You should be able to find one of those at the links at the top of this page, or in the local websites below.
Going to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre
Going to a sexual assault referral centre (SARC) is confidential and you can get all the healthcare you might need there, including a check up for STIs, or for emergency contraception or PEP. They will also be able to help you collect and also store evidence if you decide that you want to report the assault to the Police.
If you do want to report the assault they can help you, but won’t pressure you. In case you do want to report what happened, if it’s possible, try not to shower or change your clothes afterwards. It’s really hard not to, but you might wash away the evidence (the attacker’s DNA). They have showers at SARCs, so maybe take some fresh clothes with you to change into. In London they have centres called The Havens and there will be similar ones around the UK. Find out more about what going to a SARC is like here and this pdf booklet by The Havens about how to cope with a sexual assault is excellent.
Someone to chat to
Do you just want to chat to someone or get advice or information about sex and relationships? You can still go to a clinic. You could see a sex educator, a counsellor (Brook services usually have trained counsellors you can chat to) or a health adviser. If you can recommend a service please leave a comment at the bottom of this page 🙂
UK Services
Many areas in the UK have their own websites to promote their local services for young people. I’m collecting them here.
Brook run really great services for young people around the country so see if they have a clinic in your area
Berkshire – I love the illustrations on the front page!
Bristol and North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Brighton and Hove – the Where To Go For website has you covered (also check out these support services for LGBTQU folk)
Buckinghamshire – here are all of their services
Derby and Derbyshire – That’s where I’m from, me’duck
Devon and Torbay – their ‘take a tour’ section has videos of what it’s like to go to their clinics, which is great.
Dorset – some of these clinics have walk-ins (no appointment needed) for under 18s
East Sussex (not Brighton) – Brighton is up here ↑
Edinburgh and the Lothians – the Healthy Respect website
Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth & Southampton
Leicester and Leicestershire – I really like their website. Also check out Trade who have sexual health services for LGBT and new arrivals, across Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland.
Leeds – also check out Mesmac for their services across Yorkshire.
Lincolnshire – Their website is called LiSH, which is cool.
London
Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest – you can also use any of the adult services too.
Croydon, Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton, Wandsworth – Check out the Getting It On website (get it?)
Luton – they have a text service for 11 – 19 year olds too!
Newcastle upon Tyne – Here’s a useful page with local services (and also useful websites *ahem*)
Oxfordshire and here’s the link for their sexual health services
Torbay (see above for Devon)
(if you run a website like these, contact me and I’ll add them. Don’t have a website for young people in your area? I can make you a page here for a fee. If you want to print off some BISH posters for your clinics you can visit here,or I can send you some in the post if you like. I can also make you some posters based on the images in this article).
There’s a comment box below (scroll down) if you want to give me feedback or ask a question (don’t leave your full name and I pre-moderate all comments). Or ask me a question here.
© Justin Hancock, 2024 Find out more about me and BISH here.
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Cheeky self plug for Trade Sexual Health in Leicester – we work with LGB&T communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland 🙂
Love a cheeky plug! Thanks for that, I’ve updated the Leicester section. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.
Hi. I’m just curious to why I just started bleeding after masturbating, just the clitoris masturbating. Does it mean I have cancer?
I don’t think this means you have cancer. It could have been your period, or you might have a tiny bit cut yourself with a nail at the opening to your vagina. I’ve hurt myself masturbating This is something you could speak to a local sexual health service, or a doctor, about to get reassurance.
Our young people need all the the information as possible regarding sex.
Thanks for helping educate our young people.
That’s very kind, thank you.