Confidentiality

We want you to feel confident about using our service. You will see confidentiality posters within the clinic assuring you of the confidential nature of the service.

You can expect confidentiality at every stage of your journey through the service for example we only call your first name when in the waiting areas and you can request a buzzer so that you do not have to wait outside of clinic if you do not want to. Consultation rooms are private, and conversations cannot be overheard by other people.

Your clinic notes are used solely by sexual health services. No other health care professionals have access to them.

You will be encouraged to give the professional you are seeing information about yourself such as your name, date of birth and address and information about your sexual history but this information will not be shared with anyone outside of the service without your permission unless they are concerned about the safety of you or somebody else.

Are there any circumstances where you would break my confidentiality?

Yes there are some exceptional circumstances where confidentiality would be broken. Information in exceptional circumstances can be shared if:

It is required by law
You give your consent
It is felt to be in your or the public’s best interest i.e. Child or Adult safeguarding concerns
It could prevent a serious crime e.g. terrorism

I’m under 16, will you tell my parents I've been?

Even if you’re under 16, your visit will be treated as confidential but you will be encouraged you to talk to a parent or carer about your visit if you can. If a professional feels that you may be at serious risk of sexual exploitation then they have a duty of care to share this information with other professionals to keep you safe. In most situations they will share with you their concerns, and with whom they want to share your details with.