The Circle Room

Everyone has what is called a ‘right to confidentiality’ when they see a health care professional. That means that we are not allowed to tell anyone that you have been to see us, or what you have talked about. This even applies to close family members such as partners or parents. All members of the surgery staff, including receptionists, work under the same rules. We take this very seriously indeed.

If you’re very concerned, then you don’t have to give us your address, or even your real name. We can assure you, however, that your right to confidentiality will be respected.

There are very, very rare exceptions to this rule, when a doctor is allowed to tell someone else when they are concerned about you. This is if you are doing something to significantly harm others (eg. driving with uncontrolled epilepsy) or if we are worried that a vulnerable young person is being abused or exploited. In practice, this situation arises extremely rarely, and nothing would be done without discussing it with the person involved.

At The Circle Room, we’re happy to see anyone, it really doesn’t matter how old you are. Everyone has a right to confidentiality when they see a health care professional (eg. a doctor or nurse).

That means that the doctor is not allowed to tell anyone (eg. your parents, friends or teachers) what you’ve talked about, or even that you have been to see them. We can reassure you that under 16s have just the same right to confidentiality as anyone else.

These rules apply to all of our staff, including receptionists and nurses, and are taken very seriously. Even if you know them or recognise them, or if they know your parents, they are not allowed to tell anyone that you have been to see us. If you are worried, you don’t need to tell us your address, or even your real name.

There are some rules, though, that we have to follow. If we’re giving you contraception, we need to be sure that you are mature enough to understand what you are taking and the possible risks.

Very, rarely, we have a right to tell someone if we are worried about you. That applies only in a situation when we feel you might be being abused or exploited. Even if this does happen, we would never do it without discussing it with you first.

If you think you may be pregnant, then we can do a pregnancy test for you.

If you know you are pregnant and are unsure about what to do, or want to talk about having a termination, then come in and have a confidential, non-judgemental chat with one of our doctors or nurses.

We can refer you to BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) for further counselling.

More information is available on their website : bpas.org

Anyone who’s having sex needs to have regular sexual health screening (testing for STIs, or Sexually-Transmitted Infections).

It’s especially important if you are having sex without a condom, if you are concerned that your partner may be sleeping with someone else, or if you are worried that your partner has symptoms of a sexually-transmitted infection.

Remember, though, that you may have an infection and have no symptoms at all.

Screening

If you just want a screen but have no symptoms it may be much simpler than you think.

For men, all you may have to do is pee into a pot. For women, you may be given a swab (like a long cotton wool bud) to take yourself.

Call us if you want to make an appointment on:

Lewes clinic – 01273 480888

Rye clinic – 01797 223333

If you are 16-24, would like a screen and can’t come to the clinic then you can even get a test online at freetest.me

Symptoms include the following:

Boys and men : you may have discharge from the penis, pain when you pee, pain in the testicles, blood in the sperm or urine, growths or sores on the penis or testicles.

Girls and women : you may have new discharge from the vagina, sores or growths on the vulva or vagina, pain when you have sex, bleeding in between your periods.

If you have any of these symptoms, we may have to do a more-detailed examination. We’ll take some swabs and send them off to the lab and you’ll usually get the results back a week later.

We can either phone you or you can come back in and see us. If it turns out that you do have an infection, we’ll need to treat you and your partner too, as soon as possible.

Call us if you want to make an appointment on:

Lewes clinic – 01273 480888

Rye clinic – 01797 223333

Condoms

Using condoms helps protect you from sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancy.

The C Card scheme allows anyone under 25 to get condoms free of charge.

You can register for the scheme at our clinics on Tuesday afternoons.

We will give out condoms to anyone with the C Card on any weekday afternoon after 2.00pm.

Once you have a C Card you can also get free condoms from a variety of places. C-Card for free condoms

The pill

We can talk to you about going on the pill and give you the first pack. After that, you can see your own GP to carry on with the prescription, or come back to us, it’s up to you.

We can also chat with you about any problems that you may be having with the pill and try and find the best method of contraception to suit you. Remember, everyone is different and what suits one person may not suit another.

The implant

This is a small flexible rod which goes just under the skin of the upper arm. We’ll need to see you first to talk about this, and then we can organise a time for one of our doctors to put it in.

The coil

This is a small plastic T-shaped device which sits in the womb. We’ll need to see you first to discuss this, then we can arrange a time for you to come back to see us and have a coil put in.

For more information on contraception, see the FPA (Family Planning Association) website : fpa.org.uk

Condoms

Using condoms helps protect you from sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancy.

The C Card scheme allows anyone under 25 to get condoms free of charge.

You can register for the scheme at our clinics on Tuesday afternoons.

We will give out condoms to anyone with the C Card on any weekday afternoon after 2.00pm.

If you’ve had unprotected sex and you’re worried about being pregnant, or you think that you may not have been taking your contraceptive pill properly, then you need to take emergency contraception as soon as possible.

Remember, emergency contraception is not 100% effective, but the sooner you take it – the more likely it is to work.

There are two different ‘morning after pills’. One is called Levonelle (effective up to 72 hours after unprotected sex) and one is Ella One (effective up to 120 hours after unprotected sex).

What is an emergency IUD?

An emergency IUD is a small plastic and copper device that is fitted in your uterus up to five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex or within five days of the earliest time you could have released an egg. It takes about 15–20 minutes to fit. It can be uncomfortable and you can ask for a local anaesthetic. It is the most effective emergency contraceptive and is nearly 100% effective. We should be able to organise this for you or try and make an appointment for you to have this done somewhere else if we can’t fit you in.

If you can’t wait until the clinic on Tuesdays, then these are some other places you can go to for help :

your GP may be able to fit you in for an appointment, or even prescribe emergency contraception over the phone. If you can’t get an appointment with your own GP and you are under 18, then we may be able to help, even if it’s not on a Tuesday afternoon. Just give us a call.

GP ‘Out of Hours’ service – NHS 111 (call 111 – available 24/7)

Many pharmacies give emergency contraception for free: Service locator

If you have had unprotected sex (without a condom) with someone who is HIV positive, or have engaged in any risk-taking behaviour that could have transmitted HIV in the last three days (72 hours) then taking a short course of anti-HIV drugs may help to prevent infection.

This is known as Post Exposure Prophylaxis or PEP. It involves taking a course of anti-HIV drugs for four weeks. It is more effective the sooner you take it – so call us during the week if the Tuesday clinic is a long way away, or contact:
HIV – East Sussex Sexual Health or,
Claud Nicol Centre in Brighton directly.

We cannot prescribe these drugs at the Circle Room but can help direct you towards a place which will.