When you visit the service for the first time, you will usually be asked to fill in a form with your name and some contact details. If you want to be anonymous, you can be. You do not have to give your real name or tell staff who your GP is if you do not want to.

Sexual health services keep separate medical records and will only share information about you with your GP or other professionals if you agree to this. Even if you are under 18 they will keep your medical records confidential unless they think you are at risk of harm.

They won’t tell your parents or your GP unless you have given permission, or you are in danger and they have discussed this with you. If you prefer to see a doctor/nurse of a particular gender (e.g. female doctor), tell the receptionist when you book the appointment, or if it is a drop-in clinic tell them when you arrive. You can also take someone with you (such as your partner or a friend) if you wish.

Check out the short video's in the 'Visiting Us' section that shows you what a typical appointment visit may look like.  

If you need to be tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), you may need to provide a urine or blood sample.

Some tests require swabs to be taken from the genitals and, depending on what type of sex you have had, your throat and rectum. This can be a little uncomfortable but the clinical staff are experts at doing these tests so you are in good hands.

Some tests may require the doctor to look at your genitals. If you’re more comfortable with a doctor of the same sex, then you can ask for this.

Firstly - remember that almost all sexual infections are now treatable so you don't need to worry.

The service will contact you if you have a positive result, the nurse and doctor will give you advice and information on what to do next.  You may be offered counselling and other forms of support to help you cope with the fact that you have an STI, should you need it.

Fortunately, false-positive results are now extremely rare. Very occasionally tests can give a false-positive especially if the condition is very rare, so sometimes the clinic will ask you for a second sample to make sure the diagnosis is accurate.

Most negative results are highly accurate. However, some infections – like HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis – may take up to 3 months to show on a blood test.

An initially negative result is still good news, but you may need to come back for a second test to be sure you're clear. Discuss this with the clinic staff when your tests are taken – they will be able to tell you if any tests will need to be repeated.

In the meantime, you should continue to practise safer sex using condoms and other barriers or stick to safer sex alternatives until all of your test results are back and you are certain that you are in the clear.

Even if all of your final tests are negative it’s time to think about how you protect yourself in the future. If you had a lucky escape this time, it might not be the same the next. Unless both you and your partner have been tested, are STI free and have been practising safer sex since being tested, you are at risk of STIs. 

Thurrock Sexual Health Service does not cover pre fertility treatment screening for male or females.   Chlamydia testing as a pre fertility treatment screen is also not covered. 

If you are under 16 you are still entitled to access confidential sexual health services.

Although the age of consent is 16, and we hope that young people do choose to wait until they are this age before becoming sexually active, we recognise that sometimes people may choose to have sex before then and it is important there are places they can go for advice and support where they will not be judged.  

Children under 13 are legally not able to consent to any sexual activity, and there are specific laws to protect young people of this age. There's a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for rape, assault by penetration and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Your visit will be confidential, and what you discuss with us will not be told to anyone else.

Confidentiality may only be broken under very exceptional circumstances, for example if we believe there is a risk of abuse or harm to you or to others. If this does happen, the assessor will let you know what information you had told them that has concerned them, and who they are going to be passing the information on to.

You do not need to give all of your personal details; however we will ask for your initials, date of birth and postcode - but nothing will be sent to your home address.

We will also ask some questions about the kind of sex that you are having – this is to ensure that you are happy and that you can be offered further support if you need it.