If your screening comes back positive for an STI, treatment in England is highly streamlined, completely confidential, and entirely free. You will not be charged for the consultation, the antibiotics, or the follow-up tests.

🦠 Treatment Pathways

Chlamydia

  • If tested via postal kit (SH:24 / SHL): You will usually receive a text message confirming the positive result. The service will offer to send an electronic prescription directly to a local high street pharmacy of your choice. You simply walk in, give your name, and collect a course of Doxycycline for free.
  • If tested at a clinic: The clinic will call or text you to return. You will be handed the medication directly at the clinic pharmacy.

Gonorrhoea

  • The Injection Requirement: Because of rising antibiotic resistance, standard NHS guidelines require gonorrhoea to be treated with an intramuscular injection of Ceftriaxone (usually in the buttocks), plus sometimes oral pills.
  • The Pathway: You cannot get this treatment at a high street pharmacy. If you tested via a postal kit, the service will fast-track you into a local physical GUM clinic. If you tested at a clinic, you will be called back in. Treatment is usually administered on the same day you attend.

Syphilis

  • The Pathway: A reactive syphilis blood test requires a confirmatory venous blood draw to distinguish between a new active infection and antibodies from a past treated infection.
  • The Treatment: If active, you will be treated at a GUM clinic. The standard treatment is a long-acting penicillin injection (often two injections, one in each buttock). More complex or late-stage cases may require a multi-week course of injections.

📞 Partner Notification (Contact Tracing)

When you test positive, the NHS places a strong emphasis on partner notification to stop the chain of infection.

You have options on how to handle this:

  1. Do it yourself: You text or call your recent partners and tell them to get a full screen.
  2. Anonymous NHS notification: This is the most popular option for casual hookups. The clinic's Health Advisers (or the SH:24 online portal) can send an anonymous text message to phone numbers you provide. The text simply says: "A recent sexual partner has tested positive for [STI]. Please attend a sexual health clinic for a check-up." It does not mention your name, location, or gender.

Health Advisers: Every GUM clinic in England employs dedicated Health Advisers. They are not doctors; they are specialized counselors trained in sexual health. They manage contact tracing, offer emotional support for new diagnoses (especially HIV), and can help you figure out exactly what to text an ex.

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