Confidentiality

We record all the information about you confidentially on our clinical systems. Keeping your healthcare records are important as they help to;

• Record important clinical information
• Help health professionals care for you, and Improve public health and the services provided to you.

We will only share information about you with your consent unless we are worried about your immediate safety or if required to do so by law.

Under 16

Sexual health services (contraception and pregnancy advice, or tests for STIs, including HIV) are free and confidential.

If you’re 13 to 16, you have the same rights to confidentiality as an adult and the doctor, nurse or pharmacist won’t tell your parents, or anyone else, as long as they believe that you fully understand the information and decisions involved.

They’ll encourage you to consider telling your parents or carers, but they won’t make you.

Even if the doctor, nurse or pharmacist feels that you’re not mature enough to make a decision yourself, the consultation will still be confidential. They won’t tell anyone that you saw them, or anything about what you said.

The only time a professional might want to tell someone else is if they believe there is a risk to your safety or welfare, such as abuse. The risk would need to be serious, and they would usually discuss this with you first.

The situation is different for people under 13, because the law says that people of this age can’t consent (say yes) to sexual activity. If you’re under 13, doctors, nurses and health workers might feel it’s in your best interests to involve other people, such as a social worker.