Sexual health

We provide all Richmond residents with comprehensive information and advice on sexual and reproductive health.

Find out more about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), symptoms and how to protect yourself on the NHS website.

See the NHS for an overview of HIV and AIDS.

Where to get tested

The sexual health clinics in the area are:

• Falcon Road clinic (Wandsworth)
• Off the Record (Twickenham)
• Patrick Doody clinic (Merton)

All clinics in the area offer:

• Free and confidential contraception
• STI testing
• Treatment
• Advice

Walk-in sessions

Falcon Road clinic has a walk in and wait service. We strongly advise to arrive at the clinic before 11am.

• Opening days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
• Opening times: Doors open at 8am 

Be aware that clinic may close early depending on daily demand and capacity.

Young persons (18 years or under) walk-in clinic:

• Falcon Road, Wednesday from 3 to 6pm
• Off the Record at Twickenham, Monday from 3 to 6pm

You must arrive before 5.30pm to allow time for an assessment by a clinician.

General appointments

General appointments are available to book at:

• Falcon Road on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 2pm to 6pm, and on Wednesday from 8am to 6pm.
• Patrick Doody on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
• Off the Record between Tuesday and Saturday

Check which clinic you should use

To check which clinic you should use, call the booking and advice line on 0333 300 2100. 

Lines are open 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. A recorded message gives information outside of these hours.

Same-day appointments are sometimes available.

You can book an appointment yourself or attend in an emergency. You do not need your GP to refer you for care, nor do you need to live locally.

Find other clinics and services near you

You can also find other clinics and services near you on the NHS Choices website.

Sexual Health Clinic for d/Deaf people*

Falcon Road has a sexual health clinic specifically for the d/Deaf community.

The clinic is run one Friday each month (subject to change) by Dr Rose Balázs, a GP registrar in Southwest London who uses British Sign Language (BSL)

There will be BSL interpreters present throughout the day to make the clinic fully accessible.

Book a sexual health appointment as a d/Deaf patient.

*You do not have to be a BSL user to use this service.

STI testing at home

Sexual Health London (SHL) is an online testing programme offers free and easy access to STI testing kits for:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhoea
• HIV
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis B and C

The programme is for Londoners aged 16 and over who have mild or no STI symptoms. Kits can be sent directly to the individual’s home address or can be picked up from a local sexual health clinic.

Freetesting (SH:24) is a national HIV testing service providing free online HIV tests for sexually active individuals aged 16 and over. You can choose for the kit to be delivered in discreet packaging to any address and there is an option to also test for syphilis.

Young people

Sexual health services for young people in the borough.

Getting it On

Getting it On offers information for young people aged 13 to 19 about:

• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Drugs and alcohol
• Healthy relationships

The following free services and treatments are available for young people:

• Free emergency contraception
• Free condoms
• Free chlamydia screening services
• Free chlamydia treatment
• Free HIV service

Come Correct scheme

Young people under the age of 25 can get free condoms from the Come Correct scheme.

Get It

Get It is a free and confidential online service for young people aged 25 and under living in Richmond, to order free condoms, lube and chlamydia tests.

GPs may also offer you a chlamydia and gonorrhoea screen if you are sexually active and under the age of 25. Ask your GP for more information.

Contraception

Your GP surgery can provide you with free contraceptives (as a free prescription), and some surgeries offer long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) such as coil (IUD/IUS) and implant. They can also remove or replace these if you wish to change your type of contraception.

If you are registered with a Richmond GP and aged between 15 to 54, you can access all these types of contraception, including coils, through your local community care practitioners.

Visit the FPA website to get help deciding which method of contraception is best for you. It provides information on the different types and methods of contraception.

The Sexual Health South West London website has a full list of clinics across the South West of London that can provide a full range of contraception, including LARC, routine and emergency contraception.

Sexual Health London (SHL) in Richmond offers free online routine and emergency hormonal contraception (EHC or the morning after pill). Both forms of contraception can be sent directly to a home address or can be picked up from a local pharmacy or drop box.

Emergency contraception

Emergency contraception can be used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or if the contraception you have used has failed (for example, a missed pill or a split condom).

There are two types of emergency contraception:

• The emergency contraceptive pill (the 'morning after' pill)
• The intrauterine device (IUD or coil)

You need to take the emergency contraceptive pill within either three, or five days, after unprotected sex for it to be effective. The sooner you take it, the more effective it will be.

The coil can be fitted up to five days after unprotected sex, or up to five days after the earliest time you could have ovulated, for it to be effective.

Free emergency contraception is available at your local ISH service and GP surgeries across the borough. It is also available at local pharmacies for females aged 13 to 24 years old.

Where to get emergency contraception

Pharmacies in the borough provide free emergency hormonal contraception (known as EHC or the morning after pill) which prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex to females aged 13 to 24 years old. These pills are effective for up to 72 and 120 hours after unprotected sex.

There is no requirement for Richmond residents to be registered with a Richmond General Practitioner. Anyone who falls outside the eligibility criteria should be referred for further assessment and treatment to either:

• The nearest ISH service
• The Single Point of Access number: 0333 300 2100

Pharmacies that provide EHC

Area	Pharmacy	Address	Postcode
East Sheen	Dumlers Pharmacy	495-497 Upper Richmond Road West	SW14 7PU
East Sheen	Spatetree Pharmacy	113 Sheen Lane	SW14 8AE
Ham	Ham Common Pharmacy	12-14 Back Lane	TW10 7LF
Ham	Kanset Pharmacy	177 Ashburnham Road	TW10 7NR
Hampton Hill	Health on the Hill	62 High Street	TW12 1PD
Kew Gardens	Kew Pharmacy	3 Station Parade	TW9 3PS
Richmond	Nima (Malden) Ltd	50 Friars Stile Road	TW10 6NQ
Strawberry Hill	Brightlife Chemist	3 Wellesley Parade	TW2 5SQ
Teddington	Kirby Chemist	53 High Street	TW11 8HA
Twickenham	Boots	3-5 King Street	TW1 3SD
Twickenham	C Goode Pharmacy	22 London Road	TW1 3RR
Twickenham	Charles Harry Pharmacy	366 Richmond Road	TW1 2DX
Twickenham	Crossroads Pharmacy	334 Staines Road	TW2 5AT
Twickenham	Day Lewis	1 Cross Deep Court, Heath Road	TW1 4AG
Twickenham	Twickenham Pharmacy	17 Richmond Road	TW1 3AB
Whitton	Minal Pharmacy	9 High Street	TW2 7LA
Whitton	Percy Road Pharmacy	133 Percy Road	TW2 6HT

You can also use the NHS search to find your nearest pharmacy.

If you are under the age of 25, you can also access free condoms and chlamydia tests at your local pharmacy.

Sexual health webinars

In partnership with our sexual health providers, we have created webinars to celebrate key sexual health events and discuss important sexual and reproductive health topics.

Watch the webinars

Sexual Health Service Directory

Our Sexual Health Service Directory has a list of all sexual health services in the borough, with a description of the services and who they are for.