Sexual health
Looking after your sexual health is an important part of your mental and physical health, as well as your social and emotional well-being. Tower Hamlets has a range of sexual health services and support organizations available in the borough.
Visit a Sexual Health Service
All East
All East provides free and confidential sexual health services at centres across East London.
You can book an appointment for:
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Sexual wellbeing support and advice
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Sexual health testing for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV testing
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Treatment for STIs
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Contraception including routine LARC (long-acting reversible contraception).
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Psychological assessment and therapeutic support for a variety of sexual difficulties for adults attending their service
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Pregnancy choices including how to check if you are pregnant, your pregnancy choices for continuing with the pregnancy, adoption, having an abortion.
GP surgeries
Your GP surgery also offer several sexual health services:
Use the NHS Find a GP tool to search for a GP.
Young People’s Health and Wellbeing Service
Safe East is a free, confidential health and wellbeing service for children and young people who need support around sexual health and/or drug and alcohol use. The service works with anyone who lives or studies in Tower Hamlets up to the age of 19 (up to 25 if you are in care, have special educational needs or a disability).
They provide help with:
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Sexual health: issues around consent and relationships, contraception, C-card (free condoms), testing and treatment for STIs
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Drugs or alcohol use including smoking and vaping: information, advice and support
You're Welcome - young people friendly services
Services which display the You're Welcome logo have met the criteria for providing young people friendly services and helped to improve accessibility.
To access the service, you can:
Online free Sexual Health Service - Sexual Health London (SHL)
Pharmacies
There are over 30 pharmacies in Tower Hamlets that are signed up to deliver free sexual health services. These include emergency hormonal contraception (EHC), chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing. Find your nearest pharmacy.
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Use the NHS Contraception guide to find out about the different methods available on the NHS, together with where to get them and how to decide which method might work best for you.
Get free condoms
C-Card scheme - Young people, aged between 13 and 24 years old can access FREE condoms in a variety of locations (called Outlets) across London. Once registered you can collect condoms or get advice from any Outlet displaying the Come Correct logo. The C-Card scheme is easy, free and confidential. For more information on how to register visit C-Card Scheme.
Emergency Contraception
There are different types of emergency contraception.
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It could be taken orally as a pill (commonly called the morning after pill). This is best taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. It is likely to be easier and faster to go to your local pharmacy to get this. If you cannot get this from the pharmacy then please book an emergency contraception appointment online through All East.
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There is also the Emergency intrauterine device (IUD) which is the most effective form of emergency contraception available. To access emergency IUD, you can walk into the sexual health clinic at Ambrose King Centre or call 0207 4804737.
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PrEP and PEPSE
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication you can take to reduce your risk of HIV infection. People who at high risk of becoming infected with HIV are eligible for PrEP, if you are unsure whether you are eligible you can get advice or start taking PrEP by booking an appointment with our sexual health service.
PEPSE - Post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV after sexual exposure is a four week course of HIV medication you can take after unprotected sex or a condom accident, to reduce your risk of becoming HIV positive. PEPSE must be started within 72 hours of the unprotected sex or condom accident. It is best to start PEPSE as soon as possible.
You can get PREP and PEPSE at sexual health specialist centres: the Ambrose King Centre and the Sir Ludwig Guttmann Centre. If the centres are closed, you can access PEPSE at your nearest emergency department.
Positive East
Positive East offer a comprehensive and holistic range of HIV support and prevention services. They can help you with:
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HIV/STI testing and advice
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information and advice (benefits, housing, immigration, etc.)
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peer support and mentoring
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support groups
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counselling
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specialist support for HIV positive women who are asylum seekers or refugees and who have experienced violence or trauma
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health and wellbeing activities (e.g. acupuncture, mindfulness, yoga, women gym sessions, etc.)
For more information you can call 020 7791 2855 or e-mail talktome@positiveeast.org.uk or visit 159 Mile End Road, London E1 4AQ.
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All our sexual health services and clinics in the borough are confidential and professional services which are fast and free to use and delivered by friendly professionals.
Elop - is a local holistic lesbian and gay mental health charity based in East London that offers a range of social, emotional and support services to LGBT communities, and core services include advice and information, counselling and young people’s services. Visit elop for more information.
London Friend – LGBT charity that support the health and mental wellbeing of the LGBT community in and around London. Visit London Friend.
External links
Evidence, strategies, and plans
Tower Hamlets Public Health are currently working with other North East London boroughs to develop a sexual and reproductive health strategy for the next 5 years to ensure delivery of high quality, easy-to-access, and equitable provision across NEL with prevention and promotion of good sexual & reproductive health including healthy relationships being at the core of all activity. Our priorities for this include ensuring residents have:
- healthy fulfilling relationships
- good reproductive health across the life course
- have access to high quality and innovative STI testing and treatment
- HIV prevention, towards zero transmission and support for living well.
Public Health will also produce a borough wide action plan to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes.
We have a multi-agency sexual and reproductive health partnership group in the borough, if you are a professional interested in working collaboratively to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes, please e-mail Sukhjit.Sanghera@Towerhamlets.gov.uk or Viknesh.Akilan@Towerhamlets.gov.uk for more information.