Young Person Drop In

No there will not be older people there, the young person drop in is only for young people so you will not be in the clinic with older people, only young people under the age of 19.

• The information you provide is strictly confidential and we will not share your information unless we have to. Special laws exist to protect your personal information at a sexual health clinic, so all information you provide stays confidential. This means any personal information you provide us with will be held in the strictest confidence.
• Gateshead Sexual Health patient notes are stored within the sexual health service and kept separate from GP notes used at the main hospital. 
• Computerised information about our patients is coded and only staff in the clinic are able to access identifiable information such as your name or address. 
• No information about your attendance here will generally be passed on to anyone outside of Gateshead sexual health service (like your parents, teachers, GP/family doctor, social worker) without you knowing about it and agreeing to it. The only time this may be different is if you tell us that you or someone else is unsafe.

• When you attend Gateshead Sexual Health, our friendly reception team will give you  a form which asks for your name, address, preferred contact details, and some optional personal questions. Some patients are reluctant to provide us with their correct details. We advise that you provide these details as we often need them to book you investigations (eg ultrasound scans), refer you to another hospital specialist or contact you to inform you that you have an infection.
• We appreciate that sexual health is a sensitive topic and this is why our team at Gateshead Sexual Health are always careful to check which method of contact you would prefer.
• The optional questions include things like your ethnicity, and place of birth. These questions are asked at the beginning of your visit, and the details are only used to give us a overview of the people coming to the clinic so we can make them the best they can be for the patients who attend. This information will be fully confidential and you do not need to provide these details if you do not want to.

• No, we will not tell your parents or the person who looks after you but if you are under 16 we will ask you who knows you’re coming to the clinic. We will also encourage you to be open with a parent or an adult you can trust. This is so we know that if you have a problem you have someone to help you.
• If you are under 16 we just need to make sure that you understand the advice and information we are giving you and that you are able to “weigh it up” in your own mind.

Of course you can, you can come to clinic on your own, or with a friend or family member who can be with you when you are seeing our  doctors or nurses. However we have to see you on your own first for the intitial asessement ( just for the first few minutes as there are things will need to discuss in private). You are then welcome to bring you friend, family member or carer in to your appointment with you. 

It looks very much like a GP surgery. There are waiting rooms, consulting rooms for the doctors and health advisors, examination and treatment rooms for the nurses and an onsite laboratory where some tests are processed on the day. All our waiting rooms are unisex . We also have a Radio, TV, magazines and health realted resources for you to read, watch and listen to whilst you wait to keep you company.

Definitely not – professionals view it as a sign of maturity that you are doing something about your sexual health and not just leaving it to chance.

You can come and talk to us from any age. Every young person’s needs are assessed on an individual basis.

You can but this may mean we have to give you an appointment to come back to the clinic when we can accommodate your request. Just let us know when you attend the young persons drop in and we can discuss this with you for your next visit.

No, in most instances your information will not be shared. Everything you discuss in the clinic is ‘confidential’. But – if we are worried that you or someone close to you is at risk of serious harm we have a duty to keep you safe. Sometimes that means we need to have a chat with your parent or carer. We will always let you know if we need to share information you have given us, nothing will happen without your knowledge.