Welcome to Sexual Health Teesside
We provide free and confidential sexual health services in Teesside including information and advice on all types of contraception and STI testing and treatment. Our service is confidential, non-judgmental and for people of all ages, genders and orientations. Our sexual health clinics can be found in Middlesbrough, Redcar, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees.
Everyone is welcome and you don’t need to see a GP first. You can book an appointment online 24/7 or speak to us on 0300 3301122. Our phone line is available Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5.00pm
Services available in Middlesbrough, Redcar, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees
Click on the headings below for further information.
- Syphilis outbreak in Teesside
- Where to find us
- Urgent help
- Rape and abuse
- Emergency contraception – IUD
- Emergency contraception – contraceptive pills
- Postal testing
- Get tested at your local clinic
- Express testing
- Getting your results
- Treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Partner notification
- Get free condoms
- Pregnancy testing
- Book an appointment online
- Contraception
- Implant/IUS/IUD fitting and removal
- Psycho-sexual counselling and support, including support with erectile dysfunction
- PrEP
- PEPSE
- Cervical cytology (smear test)
- Vasectomy services
- Support with making a referral for an abortion
- Local links
Syphilis outbreak in Teesside
Teesside has been identified as having an outbreak of Syphilis. Cases are particularly high in Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees. Syphilis is a bacterial infection which can lead to serious health complications if left untreated. Symptoms are similar in both men and women and can often be difficult to recognise, this means that you may pass it on through sexual contact without realising that you have this infection. We are encouraging all patients who access testing to have a blood test for Syphilis. You can also order a postal kit online and we would advise that you accept the blood test for HIV and Syphilis when you are offered this with your online postal test.
Click on the image below for more information about Syphilis.
Where to find us
Urgent help
Our services are open Monday – Friday 9am-5pm. For an emergency or urgent help outside these hours, visit your nearest A&E which is likely to be James Cook University Hospital or North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. Find your nearest urgent care service and find your nearest A&E.
Rape and abuse
If you’ve been sexually assaulted, please don’t suffer alone. It’s important that you’re seen as soon as possible for physical and emotional support. You can call us straight away but we recommend you first contact your nearest Sexual Assault & Referral Centre (SARC) which is Helen Brittan House. Their helpline is run by crisis workers and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0333 344 8283.
Emergency contraception - IUD
Emergency IUD’s are the most effective form of emergency contraception. These can be fitted at our sexual health clinics. Please call us on 0300 3301122 Monday – Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.
Emergency contraception - contraceptive pills
If you are 16 and over living within Teesside, you can order FREE emergency hormonal contraception to be delivered to your home. We have partnered with SH:24 to provide this service.
If you are aged 13 and over, you can also pick free emergency hormonal contraception from one of our local pharmacies. please click here for more information.
You can also access emergency contraception at your local hub. Please contact us on 0300 3301122 Our phone line is available Monday – Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.
Order a free STI test
If you live in Teesside and are aged 16 and over, without any symptoms or concerns, then you can access our postal testing service online. Our online postal testing service is free and we offer Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, HIV and Syphilis testing.
Your postal test can be delivered to your home address or one of our four hubs.
Get tested at your local clinic
If you are under 16 or you have any symptoms or concerns, you can book an appointment online You can also contact us on 0300 330 1122 where we have staff happy to help.
Click here for more information on how to prepare for an STI appointment.
Express testing
If you are aged 16 and over and you have no symptoms or concerns you can also pick up an express test from your local sexual health clinic:
Lawson Street Health Centre, Stockton
Redcar and Cleveland Community Heart
Live Well Centre, Dundas, Middlesbrough
Getting your results
Once you have taken your test, either in the service or by using our postal/express testing service, your sample must be tested at the laboratory.
- If your result is negative, this means you did not have an infection at the time you took your test, you will receive a text message to advise you of this.
- If your result is positive, or we need to discuss your result/test with you, you will receive a text to advise you to contact your local service.
We aim to provide all test results within 7-10 days. If you do not receive your results within 10 days, please contact your local clinic on 0300 330 1122.
Treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
If you find out that you have an infection following testing, then you may need to attend the service for treatment. All treatment is free of charge.
Partner notification
If you are diagnosed with a STI it is important that your partners are informed, this will prevent re-infection and also break the chain of transmission.
We have partnered with SXT and we are now offering online partner notification. This service is confidential and allows you or your local sexual health service to notify your partners.
Please click here for more information on partner notification.
Get free condoms
If you are aged 16-24 living in the Teesside area, you can now order condoms free online. If you are under 16 or over 25 you can also pick up condoms from your local sexual health clinic.
Pregnancy testing
If you think that you may be pregnant it is important to take a pregnancy test. You can can purchase a test from your local pharmacy or supermarket, contact your local clinic to arrange an appointment.
If you are aged between 16-24 you can also order a pregnancy test online.
Book an appointment online
You can book an appointment online for the following:
- Symptomatic testing
- To get a new method of contraception
- To change your method of contraception
- To discuss a coil or implant
- To remove a coil or implant
- For testing and contraception
We currently do not offer online appointments for the services below. Please contact your local clinic on 0300 3301122 to arrange an appointment.
- Treatment
- Pregnancy testing
- PrEP
- PEPSE
- HIV appointments
- Cervical screening
- Diaphragm the cap and the vaginal ring
The way you can access contraception in Teesside has changed. We are no longer offering the online booking facility for repeat contraception. If you are 18 and over, and require a repeat method of the contraceptive pill, the patch or the depo-provera (injection), please contact your GP practice. If you are experiencing barriers in accessing repeat contraception at your GP, please contact us on 0300 330 1122.
If you are under 18, please contact the service on 0300 330 1122 to arrange an appointment for repeat contraception. You can also contact your GP practice, if you would prefer this.
Contraception
The way you can access contraception in Teesside has changed. We are no longer offering the online booking facility for repeat contraception. If you are 18 and over, and require a repeat method of the contraceptive pill, the patch or the depo-provera (injection), please contact your GP practice. If you are experiencing barriers in accessing repeat contraception at your GP, please contact us on 0300 330 1122.
If you are under 18, please contact the service on 0300 330 1122 to arrange an appointment for repeat contraception. You can also contact your GP practice, if you would prefer this.
We do still offer appointments for:
- New methods of contraception
- To change your method of contraception.
- To have a implant/coil fitted or removed
- To discuss your contraception options
To make an appointment you can book an appointment online or contact us on 0300 330 1122.
Implant/IUS/IUD fitting and removal
We offer long acting reversible contraception removals and fittings at our services. To make an appointment you can book an appointment online or contact us on 0300 330 1122.
Please click here for more information on the different methods of contraception we offer.
Psycho-sexual counselling and support, including support with erectile dysfunction
Psychosexual therapy uses an integrated approach to working with sexual problems.
What problems can be referred?
Non gender specific:
- Loss of desire
- Pain during sex or inability to have penetrative sex.
Males
In Women
- Difficulties with orgasm
- Vulval pain
- Vaginismus
- Loss of desire
We are now offering video consultations for psychosexual counselling. The video consultation will be conducted with the use of AccuRx. This a secure platform approved by NHS Digital.
AccuRX is supported on all mobile devices with, Android version 7 or later and for iPhones and/or iPad iOS13 or later
You can access your consultation using:
- Iphone/Ipad using the safari web browser
- Android or desk top using the Google Chrome browser
- Please make sure that you have a good connection to the internet
- You are in a private space where you will not be disturbed during the video consultation
Please ask a member of the team for more information about this service.
PrEP
Virgin care Sexual Health is now commissioned to provide PrEP, free of charge to all users who meet the eligibility criteria. Please click here for more information.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV) is a medication that can be used by people who have not tested positive for HIV – HIV negative, but are at high risk of HIV. Taking PrEP will dramatically reduce the chance of catching HIV. PrEP has been shown to be highly effective in clinical trials.
PEPSE
PEPSE can stop HIV infection taking hold after the virus has entered the body. However, it is an emergency measure to be used as a last resort, for example if a condom breaks. Please call us if you think you need PEPSE on 0300 3301122. You can get this from Sexual health and HIV clinics and Accident & Emergency. Your GP does not provide PEPSE.
Cervical cytology (smear test)
Cervical screening (a smear test) is a test to check the health of your cervix. The cervix is the opening of your womb to the vagina. A cervical screening test is offered to all women aged 25-64. Please click here for more information re cervical screening
You can now visit your local hub to have a cervical screen. Please contact us on 0300 330 1122 to make an appointment. Please remember to bring your cervical screen invitation letter with you to your appointment. You can also visit your local GP to access this service.
Vasectomy services
A vasectomy is a popular method of family planning chosen by millions of men worldwide . Its safe, effective and offers a permanent solution to your contraception needs. The procedure takes about 15 minutes, and is one of the most effective methods that exits.
We work in partnership with MSIUK to provide this service. To access our vasectomy services, please contact MSIUK on 0345 300 8090 . We no longer require a referral from your GP, although we will accept this if this is your preferred method to access the service.
MSIUK offer a full vasectomy service including:
- Consultation (pre-operative assessment) either by phone or face to face including advise on possible complications, aftercare and post vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA).
- Counselling either by phone or face to face
- Vasectomy procedure
- Postal PVSA testing
- Test Results team for contact regarding the PVSA results.
- 24 hour post op help line.
Please click here to download a booklet which provides more information re the procedure and aftercare
Support with making a referral for an abortion
- University Hospital of North Tees call 01642 624233, Phone lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Please click here for more information
- University Hospital of Hartlepool call 01429 522751, Phone lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Please click here for more information
- BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) call 03457 30 40 30, Phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please click here for more information
Our nurses can also provide counselling and advice. Please contact 0300 330 1122
Our performance
Local links
- BPAS Middlesborough
- Time for you (counselling service for young people)
- Helen Britton House SARC (sexual assault support)
- South Tees Hospital IDU service (HIV support)
- HartGables (support for LGBT communities)
- My Sisters Place (support for domestic abuse)
- Thirteen (housing support programme)
- Cleveland Police Domestic Violence Unit (domestic abuse support)
- MIND (mental health support)
- Platform (drug & alcohol services for under 18’s)
- HALO project (support for people affected by forced marriage, honour-based violence and female genital mutilation)
- NSPCC (report and support for child abuse)
- Addaction
- I Want Prep Now
- Change Grow Live
- Zanzu
- Kooth - online mental wellbeing community