The United Kingdom contains four distinct health systems with separate NHS structures, different institutions, and different access routes. Choose your nation below. If you are unsure what any term means, the shared reference documents at the bottom of this page cover UK-wide concepts.
Golden Rules: How to Get Seen
While each of the four nations manages its own health system, the core rules for sexual healthcare are identical across the UK:
- Care is completely free. STI testing, treatment, and HIV care are free for everyone, regardless of nationality, immigration status, or whether you are registered with a GP.
- Records are firewalled. Sexual health clinics (GUM clinics) operate under strict legal confidentiality. Your visits, tests, and results are not shared with your GP or any other part of the NHS without your explicit consent.
- Triage and booking. Many clinics no longer accept casual walk-ins. You will typically need to book an appointment online or call ahead for phone triage before being seen.
🇬🇧 Select Your Region
Guide Map
These documents cover legal concepts and vocabulary that apply across all four nations equally.
💬 Anonymous Partner Notification
If you test positive for an STI, you are encouraged to inform recent partners so they can get tested. If you are uncomfortable doing this directly, the UK provides several ways to notify partners completely anonymously:
- Clinic Health Advisers: When you receive a positive result at any NHS/HSC clinic across the UK, you can give your partners' contact details to a Health Adviser. They will send an anonymous message advising them to get tested, without ever revealing your name, gender, or location.
- Postal Testing Portals: Services like SH:24, SHL, and shwales.online have built-in anonymous partner notification tools.
- SXT: A UK-based digital service (sxt.health) that allows you to send anonymous partner notifications via text or email.