• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) e.g. chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea & HIV
• Advice about sexual health in general
• Support in contacting and informing partners of the need to access STI testing
• Contraception, including emergency contraception
• Advice for people who have been sexually assaulted
• PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) a medication that can help prevent you from developing HIV if you’ve been exposed to it
• PrEP a medication to help prevent HIV before you’ve been exposed to it
• Hepatitis A, B and HPV vaccinations for men who have sex with men (MSM)
• Other sexual problems e.g. pain during sex, sexual dysfunction & genital skin conditions. This requires a referral from your GP
• Free condoms

Bolton Clinic

You can book an appointment for STI screening/treatment and contraception services by calling 01204 390771.

Operational Times are:

• Monday – 08.30 – 19.30pm
• Tuesday – 08.30 – 16.30pm
• Wednesday – 08.30 – 16.30pm
• Thursday – 08.30 – 19.30pm
• Friday – 08.30 – 16.30pm

If you think you may have a sexually transmitted infection, we run a postal screening kit for STI’s in Bolton.

Please note this is only available to people with a Bolton postcode.

Please consider when ordering a kit which is best suited to your needs and fully complete as failure to do so costs the NHS thousands of pounds a year.

Once you have completed the order form a screening kit will be sent in discreet packaging to your home address with full instructions on what to do and how to return it.

We will then contact you with your results and if you need any treatment we will arrange this at the Bolton SHINE clinic.

Please click here to order your free screening kit.

We provide results by text message so it is important that we have your correct mobile number.

For public health reasons this department is not able to provide results in writing to patients. Results can be communicated to your GP with your consent.

Emergency contraception

If you have had unprotected sex, or your usual method of contraception has failed we provide emergency contraception in the form of pills or a copper IUD.

The most effective form of emergency contraception is the copper coil IUD which can be fitted in a clinic up to five days after unprotected sex, or five days after ovulation.

If you require emergency contraception it is important that we speak to you as soon as possible.

Please call us on 01204 390771.

If we are not open, you can get emergency contraception from your GP or local pharmacy.

Exposure to HIV

Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is HIV medication that can be prescribed to a HIV negative person as a treatment for people who may have been exposed to HIV. This includes having unprotected sex with people from higher risk groups, shared drug injecting equipment, or people who have been sexually assaulted.

PEP needs to be commenced within 72 hours of potential exposure to HIV. If you need PEP, this works best if it is started as soon as possible.

Healthcare workers who may have been exposed to HIV are advised to contact their Occupational Health department.

If you require PEP it is important that we speak to you as soon as possible.

Please call us on 01204 390771.

Sexual Assault

You can report rape or sexual assault at any time after it has happened.

You can contact St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre on their 24-hour helpline to access a range of services on 0161 276 6515.

If you are in danger it is important that you take immediate action and contact the police on 999 and find a safe place to stay. If you have serious injuries, you must seek immediate medical help.

If it is not an emergency, ring 111 to be put through to your local police service.

For links to other services that can help you escape a dangerous situation where you have responsibilities that prevent you from leaving please call St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0161 276 6515.

Support

If you need support because of a rape or sexual assault, please access the links below:

• St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre
• Manchester Rape Crisis
• Survivors Manchester
• Victim Support

Shine Sexual Health provides free and confidential testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV.

If you’re worried because you think you’ve got an STI, go for a check-up at a sexual health clinic as soon as you can.

Do not have sex, including oral sex, without using a condom until you’ve had a check-up. You can have an STI without knowing it and infect your partner during sex.

It takes up to two weeks since your last risk (the last time you had sex) for a chlamydia or gonorrhoea infection to show on any of the tests we do via post or in clinic.

It takes up to 12 weeks/three months since your last risk (the last time you had sex) for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B infections to show on any of the tests we do via post or in clinic. Hepatitis C infections take up to six Months to show on our blood tests.

If you test positive for any infection, as well as offering treatment we will provide support in contacting and informing partners of the need to access STI testing.

For further information on sexual health in Greater Manchester please access the link below:

• The PaSH Partnership

We provide free and confidential contraception and family planning services for all ages, planning services include:

• Pregnancy testing and advice
• Male condoms
• Emergency contraception
• Pharmacy-based emergency contraception clinics
• Combined contraceptive pill
• Progestogen-only pill
• Injection
• Diaphragms / caps
• Intrauterine devices / IUD
• Intrauterine systems / IUS
• Implant

For more information on contraceptive options visit – Contraception Guide – the methods and how to get them – Brook

Guide’s created with Black, Asian, and Ethnic Minority women to explore contraceptive choices, below:

• French
• Arabic
• English

We have a dedicated team of HIV Doctors and specialist nurses that work together to provide excellent outpatient health care and psychological support for people living with HIV in Bolton, Salford and Wigan.

If you are newly diagnosed with HIV or wish to transfer your care to one of our services from another location, you can do this by contacting one of our clinics. Please call us on 01204 390771 (Bolton) and 0161 206 1099 (Salford).

See below links to useful websites:

• George House Trust – (GHT)
• LGBTF
• The Black Health Agency (BHA)
• Survivors
• Immigration Aid

HIV Prevention

PrEP is now available free of charge from our clinic for anyone who is eligible.

PrEP is a drug which if taken correctly is highly effective in preventing transmission of HIV. It does not protect against any other STI, only HIV.

You need to use condoms in addition to PrEP to protect yourself from all other STIs. We recommend regular STI testing if you are on PrEP. You should have an HIV test every three months.

If you would be interested in accessing PrEP or for more information, please call us on 01204 390771.

You can do most pregnancy tests from the first day of a missed period. If you don’t know when your next period is due, do the test at least 21 days after you last had unprotected sex.

If you have a regular monthly menstrual cycle, the earliest and most reliable sign of pregnancy is a missed period. Sometimes pregnant women may have a very light period, losing only a little blood. Other signs include:

• feeling sick
• feeling tired
• sore breasts
• peeing more often
• strange tastes, smells and cravings

Pregnant and not sure what to do?

If you are pregnant you have three options:

• You can continue with the pregnancy and have the baby. If this is your choice, please contact your GP to access antenatal care.
• You can have the baby and have it adopted.
• You can have an abortion (sometimes called a termination of pregnancy)

Deciding to have an abortion can be a difficult decision to make. You can talk this through with your GP. Alternatively, you can self-refer to a central booking system for counselling.

• Central Booking System Bolton: 0345 300 8090 or 0345 345 9911
• Central Booking System Salford: 0345 730 4030

Our staff do everything they can to ensure that you receive the best possible care. By understanding what matters to you, we can continue to improve our services.

If you are happy with your experience, please let us know and we will pass on your compliments to the staff concerned. If we have got something wrong, we want the opportunity to put things right as quickly as possible. We take all feedback very seriously and guarantee that your care will not be compromised in any way if you raise a concern or make a complaint. There are a number of ways you can tell us about your experience.

For general feedback, please respond to our friend and family text message which will be sent to you after your appointment.

Alternatively you can contact the Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS) on 01204 390193 or email pals@boltonft.nhs.uk.

If you need support because of a rape or sexual assault, please access the links below:

• St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre
• Manchester Rape Crisis
• Survivors Manchester
• Victim Support
• Mental Health Support Network provided by Chasing the Stigma | Hub of hope
• Fortalice – Domestic Abuse Charity North West – 01204 365677
• Domestic Abuse and Violence Support Services – Endeavour (endeavourproject.org.uk)

See below links to useful HIV support websites:

• George House Trust – (GHT)
• LGBTF
• The Black Health Agency (BHA)
• Survivors
• Immigration Aid

There are a number of ways you can access information held by the Trust.

• Under data protection law you are able to request a copy of any personal information we hold about you.
• Under The Access to Health Records Act (1990) you may access the records relating to deceased patients.
• Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000), you can request any other recorded information that is held by the Trust.
• Under the Environmental Information Regulations (2004), you can request any recorded environmental information held by the Trust.

Please be advised that our service uses a third party trusted partner (PreventX) who is a supplier and adviser to the NHS and local authorities across the UK, and through Sexual Health London they partner with the NHS to run the largest publicly funded remote sexual health testing programme anywhere in the world.

Preventx is registered in England and Wales under Company number 06603066.

Preventx is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which regulates data protection in the UK, and our registration number is Z1828250.

Should you require access to your information held by PreventX please contact their Data Protection Officer: dpo@preventx.com.