Sexual health clinics
In addition to sexual health services provided by local GPs and pharmacies, sexual health clinics provide specialist services for those more at risk of poor sexual health e.g. men who have sex with men, sex workers, homeless communities.
They can also provide advice on contraception, and provide STI testing and treatment.
Devon Sexual Health has three main clinics:
Appointments are available from 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Appointments can be booked by calling 0300 303 3989 or online through your personal health record (PHR).
Sexual health services for Plymouth residents are delivered through Sexual Health in Plymouth (SHiP).
You can search for your nearest sexual health clinic via the NHS website or through our find a service tool.
Sexual health clinic services are free and available to everyone – no matter your age, gender, ethnicity or sexuality.
Additional community clinics are also available (see separate section).
All sexual health services are completely confidential and non-judgemental.
Services in clinics can include:
- tests and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – including HIV testing
- contraception – including emergency contraception and advice
- pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medicine to protect against HIV
- hepatitis A and B vaccinations
- human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations
- pregnancy testing
- referrals for abortion
You can find your nearest clinic by using our find a service tool.
In addition to the main clinics, Devon Sexual Health hosts a number of community and young person drop-in clinics.
Community clinics:
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- Tiverton & District Hospital, every Wednesday 1.00pm– 7.00pm. Appointments can be made via our Exeter clinic
- Ilfracombe Tyrrell Hospital, every Monday 10.00am – 12.30pm. Appointments can be made via our Barnstaple clinic
- Bideford Community Hospital, every Tuesday 1.30pm – 4.00pm. Appointments can be made via our Barnstaple clinic
- Holsworthy Community Hospital, every Thursday 9.30am – 4pm. Appointments can be made via our Barnstaple clinic
Please note: all community clinics are appointment-only. Walk-in visitors will not be able to be seen.
Appointments for all community clinics can be made via 0300 303 3989.
You can also book appointments for clinics online. To do this, you must first register for a Personal Health Record (PHR).
Devon Sexual Health also offers young person only drop-in clinics.
No appointment is necessary, just drop-in and wait your turn.
Aged 18 and under
Devon Sexual Health – Torquay, Tuesdays 2.30pm – 5.30pm
Devon Sexual Health- Exeter, Tuesdays 3.30pm – 5.30pm
Aged 21 and under
Devon Sexual Health – Barnstaple, Wednesdays 2.30pm – 5.00pm
Services offered include:
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) testing and treatment
- Contraception advice, including long-active reversible contraception options
- Emergency contraception
All of our sexual health and contraception services remain confidential, even for those under 16 years old.
Our sexual health and contraception services are confidential – even if you’re under 16.
- Your records are private. Only staff working in our clinics can see them.
- Tests are anonymous. When we send tests away, they use a clinic number and your date of birth – not your name. No-one outside our service (including GPs, hospitals, school nurses) will know about your tests or results.
- We don’t share your info without asking. We won’t tell anyone you’ve visited us unless you want us to. Sometimes it can help to share information with your GP or other services, but we’ll always check with you first.
- Safety comes first. If we’re worried about someone’s safety, we may need to share information with another professional. We’ll try to let you know before we do this, if it’s safe to do so.
- Got questions? If you’re worried about confidentiality, talk to a member of staff – we’re here to help.
We take confidentiality very seriously, and all our staff are trained to handle sensitive situations. To read more about confidentiality in sexual health clinics, click here.
Partner Notification means letting someone you’ve had sex with know that they might have been exposed to an infection. This is important because many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) don’t have symptoms, so people often don’t realise they have one.You can choose how this is done:
- You tell them yourself – This is called patient referral. Many people do this by text, WhatsApp, or other messaging apps.
- Someone tells them for you – This is called provider referral. This is a service provided by some sexual health clinics. If you prefer, they can contact your partners confidentially. They won’t share your name, where you live, or when you had sex. This can be helpful if things ended badly or you feel uncomfortable reaching out.
Notifying partners might feel awkward, but it shows care and respect. Most people appreciate being told because it means they can get tested and treated if needed. This helps stop infections from spreading and protects your health too.
All sexual heath clinics are staffed by specially trained staff who can help with all your sexual health concerns.
Staff are non-judgemental and all services are completely confidential,
To help you find out more about visiting a clinic, you can read other people’s experiences…