Sexual health
You can get free confidential sexual health support – including access to contraception, sexually-transmitted infection (STI) testing and emergency contraception – from Brook Thurrock.
You can go to your local sexual health clinic – sometimes called a genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinic – whatever your age, gender and sexual orientation. It doesn't matter whether you have any symptoms.
Support for young people
If you're under 16, the support at sexual health clinics is still confidential, meaning the clinic won't tell your parents.
You might feel embarrassed, but there's no need – the staff at these clinics are used to testing for all kinds of infections. It's their job and they won't judge you. They will do their best to explain everything to you and make you feel at ease.
They might need to tell other healthcare services if they think you or another young person is at risk of harm, but they will talk to you before they do this.
Other sexual health services
Other sexual health services include:
- emergency contraception up to 72 hours after unprotected sex
- advice on most forms of contraception
- deep implant removal
- pregnancy tests
- advice on safe sex and risk taking behaviour
- sexual health education
- screening and vaccination for Hepatitis B
- partner notification – if a partner needs to be contacted for testing
- psychosexual counselling – speaking to someone about sexual issues