What the service does
How to access the service
Home testing
GUM clinic locations
Young Person Sexual Health Clinic
Emergencies
Sexual Health Training Team
Advice sheets
Useful links
For those with no symptoms, please order a free home test kit at: www.sh24.org.uk.
If you have symptoms or had a positive home test, please contact our GUM service on 028 9615 2111 (8.15am to 11.00am, Monday to Friday). You will be offered advice or booked in for an appointment with a clinician.
Please DO NOT attend a clinic in person to be triaged unless you require PEP or it is an emergency.
What the service does
Belfast Trust provides a wide range of sexual health and HIV services. Anyone can come to one of our sexual health clinics – you do not need to live in Belfast or be referred by your GP.
The sexual health service has two separate entrances at the Royal Hospital site, Side A and Side B. Please enter through either side and register with the reception before your appointment. There is a further clinic based at the Crumlin Road Health Centre.
The clinics, sometimes called GUM clinics (for genito-urinary medicine), offer:
- testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – more information on STIs
- free condoms
- pregnancy testing
- hepatitis A and B vaccinations
- safer sex education
- management of erectile dysfunction and other sexual dysfunctions (GP referral only)
- support and counselling
- human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination
- behavioural interventions aimed at reducing sexual risk
- post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV
- pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV | Home page – I Want PrEP Now
More detailed information on our HIV service is available here.
How to access the service
Making an appointment
There are two ways to make a GUM clinic appointment:
- Contact the clinic directly on the appointment phone line – 028 9615 2111 – between 8.15am and 11.00am, Monday to Friday (HIV patients should contact an alternative number). The appointment phone line is extremely busy – please listen carefully to each option and follow the instructions provided.
- Talk to your GP – they can make a referral and get an appointment for you, although this may take longer.
Your appointment will be with a doctor or specialist nurse.
The clinic is open from Monday to Friday. It is closed on weekends and bank holidays. If you need advice when our clinic is closed, please call the NHS sexual health helpline on: 0800 567 123.
Sexual health screening is also available in other trusts across Northern Ireland. You can go to any of these clinics regardless of where you live and you may be able to get an earlier appointment by doing so. More information on GUM clinics is available here.
Unable to keep your appointment?
The demand on our service is high. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please notify us as soon as possible so we can reschedule your appointment.
You can also notify us by email if you wish to cancel: GUMapptCancelLine@belfasttrust.hscni.net. Please note this email address is for the cancellation of GUM clinic appointments only and you will not receive a personal response.
To rearrange your appointment, please contact the clinic directly on 028 9615 2111 between 8.15am and 11.00am, Monday to Friday.
What to do before you come to your appointment
- Everyone: Please bring details of any medications you are taking.
- Men: It would be helpful if you did not pass urine for two hours before your appointment.
- Women: It would be helpful if you brought a note of when you had your last period and smear test.
Home testing
SH24 provides home testing kits to anyone who does not have symptoms, but would like to have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) check.
Test kits can be ordered directly and posted to your home.
GUM clinic locations
Main clinic
Our main GUM clinic is located on Level 3 of the Outpatients Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital.
The easiest way to access the clinic is from the Falls Road entrance.
Access is also available through the main hospital following the directions for Level 3 Outpatients Department.
Crumlin Road Clinic
There is a GUM clinic based at the Crumlin Road Health Centre, 94 – 100 Crumlin Road, Belfast, BT14 6AR. You will be advised if your appointment is at the Crumlin Road clinic by the clinician completing triage.
QUB clinic
There is a walk in GUM clinic in QUB students union during term time on Mondays 10-3pm. This offers sexual health advice, testing, vaccines and some treatments.
Other services
HIV testing is also available at Positive Life and the Rainbow Project.
Young Person Sexual Health Clinic
The Sexual Health Clinic for Young People is open to a person under the age of 25. There is no appointment necessary to attend, you can just walk in.
The clinic runs in Crumlin Road Health Centre every Wednesday from 2pm to 5pm. Please follow signs for the entrance at the back of the health centre building.
You can contact the clinic on the phone line: 028 9615 2111.
A GUM (Genito-Urinary Medicine) Doctor and Nurse will be on site offering:
- STI testing
- Information and advice
- Vaccination
- Advice – PEP/PrEP
Emergencies
If you feel unwell and you think it can’t wait until your next scheduled appointment, you can contact the GUM clinic during opening hours and seek advice from one of the nurses.
Outside clinic opening hours, if you feel you need to be seen right away, contact your nearest Emergency Department.
If you think you have been exposed to HIV, you may be eligible for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). PEP is medication that can help prevent the development of HIV.
PEP is given by a doctor if certain criteria are met. Please contact the GUM clinic or your nearest Emergency Department within 72 hours of exposure, but preferably as soon as possible.
If you have been sexually assaulted, contact the Rowan Centre.
In an emergency, contact the PSNI on 999.
If you experience any kind of crisis related to your emotional or mental health when clinics are closed, contact the GP out of hours or your local Emergency Department.
You can also call the following agencies for help:
- Lifeline: 0808 808 8000
- Samaritans: 116 123
- Positive Life
- Nexus
Useful links
Haven: Domestic and Sexual Violence and Abuse Partnership