If your screening comes back positive for an STI, treatment in Northern Ireland 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): You will receive a text message confirming the positive result. SH:24 will offer to send a prescription to a local community pharmacy of your choice. You simply walk in, give your name, and collect a course of Doxycycline for free.
  • If tested at a clinic: Your local GUM clinic will call or text you to return. You will be handed the medication directly at the clinic.

Gonorrhoea

  • The Injection Requirement: Because of rising antibiotic resistance, standard 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, SH:24 will fast-track you into a physical GUM clinic for the injection. 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 your local GUM clinic. The standard treatment is a long-acting penicillin injection (often two injections, one in each buttock). More complex cases may require a multi-week course of injections.

📞 Partner Notification (Contact Tracing)

When you test positive, HSC 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 HSC notification: This is the most popular option for casual hookups. The clinic's Health Advisers (or SH:24) 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: GUM clinics employ dedicated Health Advisers. They are specialized counselors trained in sexual health who manage contact tracing, offer emotional support, and can help you figure out exactly what to text an ex.

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