Confidentiality At Sexual Health ServicesSexual health services (contraception and pregnancy advice, or tests for STIs, including HIV) are free and confidential. The doctor, nurse or pharmacist will not tell your parents, or anyone else, as long as they believe that you fully understand the information and decisions involved. They'll encourage you to consider telling your parents or carers, but they will not make you. Even if the doctor, nurse or pharmacist feels that you're not mature enough to make a decision yourself, the consultation will still be confidential. They will not tell anyone that you saw them, or anything about what you said. The only time a professional might want to tell someone else is if they believe there is a risk to your safety or welfare, such as abuse. The risk would need to be serious, and they would usually discuss this with you first. If you're under 13, doctors, nurses and health workers might feel it's in your best interests to involve other people, such as a social worker. What you can get from sexual health servicesIf the healthcare worker feels that you understand the information and can make your own decision, you can get advice on the following:
Help and advice on sexual healthFor more information about sexual health services for young people, contact:
Sexual Health AdviceThroughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:
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| This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer. |
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