Sexual health
Sexual Health Checks in the UK: Where and When
Where to get tested in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, what a check covers, and when the NHS says to go.
You can get tested for STIs at a sexual health clinic, from a GP or pharmacy, or with a home kit where your area offers one. NHS guidance lists sex with a new partner as a reason to get checked. NHS testing is at no charge in all four UK nations, though each runs its own services.
Start here
Where do I get tested in the UK?
The NHS runs separate services in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so the front door depends on where you live.
BASHH, the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, links to one clinic finder per nation. Sexual health clinics are also called GUM clinics.
| Nation | Find a clinic | Home kits |
|---|---|---|
| England | The NHS website’s sexual health clinic finder. Clinics are open to everyone, and you don’t usually need a referral. | The NHS says you can order a kit online. Brook says what’s offered varies by area, and sometimes by age. |
| Scotland | Scotland’s NHS inform has a directory of sexual health clinics. Book by phone, or online in some areas; some clinics take drop-ins. | Being rolled out, and not yet available in every health board. |
| Wales | NHS 111 Wales lists local sexual health clinics. | The Test and Post service sends kits for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B and C. |
| Northern Ireland | Sexual Health NI lists the GUM clinics, and your GP can test too. | People aged 16 and over with no symptoms can order online. |
Home kits are for people without symptoms. With symptoms, ring a clinic or your GP.
What to expect
What does a sexual health check involve?
A nurse or doctor asks about your sex life and suggests tests to match. The NHS says not to feel awkward, as staff are there to help. Tests can include a urine sample, a blood test or swabs, for infections such as:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhoea
- Syphilis
- HIV
- Hepatitis B and C
Get in touch
Contact the clinic first to check. Some take drop-ins, and the NHS in England says you don’t usually need a GP referral.
A private chat
In England you needn’t give your real name, and your GP isn’t told unless you ask.
The tests
Samples are taken there, or posted off if you use a kit. Some results come the same day, others take up to two weeks, says NHS inform.
Results and treatment
Many STIs are treated with antibiotics, the NHS says, and a clinic can usually tell partners without naming you.
Timing
When should I get checked?
The NHS in England says to go to a sexual health clinic if:
- you’re having sex with new partners
- you think you may have an STI, or a partner has symptoms
- you’re worried after sex without a condom or dental dam
Many STIs have no symptoms, and the only way to know for sure is to get tested. Numbers worth knowing:
- Time to show on a test (NHS England)Up to 7 weeks
- Check-up if sexually active (NHS inform, Scotland)Once a year
- Check-up when changing partners (NHS inform)At least every 6 months
- Emergency HIV medicine, PEP (NHS)Within 72 hours
Timing varies by infection and by test, so ask a clinic what applies to you. Terrence Higgins Trust, for example, says clinic and lab HIV blood tests have a 45-day window and HIV self-tests a 90-day one.
Protection
How do I protect myself and a partner?
The NHS says using a condom every time you have sex is the best way to protect you and a partner from HIV and other STIs. Its checklist for England:
Do
- Use a new condom every time
- Check the use-by date and look for a CE or UKCA mark
- Use water-based or silicone-based lubricant with latex
- Get urgent help from a pharmacist, clinic, 111 or GP if one splits or comes off
Skip
- Two condoms at once, which can make one or both split
- Oil-based lubricant with latex condoms
- Latex if you are allergic to it; the packet says what a condom is made of
- An expired condom, which may not work
Clinics, some GP surgeries and some pharmacies in England give condoms out at no charge, says the NHS. Anyone in Scotland can get them too, says NHS inform, and people in Wales can order them online.
PrEP is a medicine that can help you avoid HIV if you are at higher risk. Terrence Higgins Trust says clinics provide it in England, Scotland and Wales, with Northern Ireland’s GUM clinics offering the first appointment, and the NHS says it is at no charge in England. Condoms still matter for other infections.
PEP is emergency HIV medicine. If you think you were exposed in the last 72 hours, the NHS says to go to a sexual health clinic straight away, or to A&E. The NHS also says that someone on effective HIV treatment with an undetectable viral load cannot pass the virus on.
The conversation
How do I bring it up with someone new?
NHS inform, Scotland’s health information service, says it is healthy to talk about sex, and that starting again after a divorce or a loss may feel anxious if it has been a while.
Meeting someone new? Read how to stay safe, how to spot a dating scam and what catfishing is, or try dating in your 30s and 40s. More sit in our dating guides.
General information only. This guide is not personal medical advice. For your own situation, speak to a sexual health clinic, your GP or the NHS.
Sexual health check questions, answered
Does an STI test cost anything in the UK?
Not through the NHS. Sexual health clinics in England are at no charge and open to everyone, says the NHS. NHS inform, Public Health Wales and Sexual Health NI say testing is at no charge in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Private clinics charge, so check the price first.
Do I need an appointment or a GP referral?
In England, the NHS says you don’t usually need a GP referral or an appointment for a sexual health clinic, but contact the clinic first to check. Some Scottish services take drop-ins too, and NHS inform says your GP can help where no clinic is nearby.
How long after sex should I wait to take a test?
The NHS in England says STIs can take up to 7 weeks to show on a test after unprotected sex, so with no symptoms it is best to wait that long. Timing varies by infection and test, so ask a clinic. Go sooner if you have symptoms.
Are home STI test kits reliable?
NHS inform says self-sampling can be just as reliable as a clinic test if done correctly, but it is for people without symptoms and is not yet in every Scottish health board. Kits go back to a lab by post. Elsewhere, what you can order depends on your area.
Will a clinic tell my GP or my partner?
The NHS in England says nothing about your visit is shared with your GP or anyone outside the clinic unless you ask, and you needn’t give your real name. NHS inform says the same about GPs in Scotland. After a positive test, a clinic can usually contact partners without naming you.
Casual, not careless
For anything about your own health, ask a sexual health clinic, your GP or the NHS, then see who is around you.
See who’s nearby