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On arrival

If you have a referral letter or a slip given to you by a partner please hand it to reception when you arrive. You will first see a receptionist who, if you haven’t already done so, will ask you to complete an appointment registration form for your contact details, and give you a number. You will also be asked to answer a few written questions about why you are here so that we can arrange for you to be seen by the person most suited to your needs.

Please complete this form carefully to avoid delaying your time in the clinic and with as much information as possible.

If you would prefer to see a male or female practitioner please let the receptionist know so we can try and arrange this for you whenever possible.

Consultation

A doctor or nurse will call you by your number and take you to a consultation room. He/she will talk to you in private about the reasons for attending the clinic and any symptoms or concerns you may have. You will be asked specific questions about your sexual health and some about your general health as well.

All the information you give us remains CONFIDENTIAL unless you give us your permission to let someone else know or we believe that you may be at risk of serious harm but we would always discuss our concerns with you first.

Examination

You will be offered a genital examination and tests depending on your symptoms or concerns. The practitioner will discuss with you whether you would like to have a chaperone present during this examination. A chaperone is usually present during female examinations and can be present during male examinations, for support, if you would like one.

What happens during an examination?

Men:

The practitioner will examine your genitals, ask you for a sample of urine and offer you a blood test. You may have a swab taken from the urethra (just inside the penis) if you have any symptoms of discharge or pain when you pass urine. It is very important that you do not pass urine for at least ONE HOUR before giving a sample.

Women:

The practitioner will examine your genital area and take swabs from inside the vagina and cervix (like a smear test) and offer you a blood test.

Further tests from your urine, the water passage, throat and rectum may be taken if thought necessary after talking to you about your problems(s) and again this will be discussed with you first. Please do not pass urine until you have been seen by a doctor/nurse.

Everyone is offered a blood test for Syphilis and HIV as part of your sexual health check. Please read the sheet attached on having an HIV test and discuss with the doctor/nurse if you still have any concerns about having this test.

Which tests will I have today?

Any tests for sexual infection will be discussed with you first, and only taken with your consent. All patients will be offered the following tests:

  • Gonorrhoea
  • Chlamydia
  • HIV
  • Syphilis

If you have any symptoms of discharge from the vagina or penis you may also be offered the following tests:

  • Men – Urethritis
  • Women – Urethritis Trichomonas Vaginalis (TV), Thrush (candida) and Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)

Additional tests

If any other tests are necessary the doctor/nurse will explain what these are and why you might need them including:

  • Urine testing for a urine infection or possible pregnancy
  • A Herpes test (a swab if you have an ulcer, cut or blister on your skin)
  • A blood test for Hepatitis B or C infection

Results

  • If you have any symptoms today you may be given some preliminary results while in the clinic, and then your tests will be sent to the main hospital laboratory and further results will be  ready within 2 weeks. If you came just for a check up today your tests will be sent to the main hospital laboratory immediately and the final results will be ready within 2 weeks.
  • If your results are all clear you will receive a text from NHS-NoReply within 2 weeks of your appointment saying ‘This is The Clinic to inform you that all your results were reported NEGATIVE’ .
  • If your tests show that you have an infection (a positive result) we will contact you on your preferred telephone number within 2 weeks and ask you to come in for treatment.

Treatment

If you have any infection this will be explained to you and you will be given some treatment. All treatments will be given to you in the clinic and are FREE.

Information

You will be offered written information on any infection you may have to take away with you. Leaflets on all sexual infections are available in the waiting area, consultation and examination rooms. Please help yourself to them as you may find them useful and are FREE. If you cannot see the one you want please ask a member of staff.