Family planning clinics offer free, confidential advice, and information about contraception and sexual health.
You can get details of your nearest family planning clinic from the phone book, your GP, local hospital, health authority, or from the Family Planning Association (FPA) website.
Family planning clinics can be used by women, men and young people, including those who are under 16 years of age. Most health authorities also have specific services for young people.
You can refer yourself to a family planning clinic, or you can be referred by your GP, or another health worker. However, you may need to book an appointment to see a healthcare professional at a family planning clinic. Many family planning clinics also run walk-in clinics.
Family planning clinics provide a range of services including:
- Confidential advice about contraception,
- The combined oral contraceptive pill,
- The progestogen-only pill,
- Progestogen injections,
- Limited supplies of free condoms,
- Free emergency contraception,
- Confidential advice about STIs,
- Cervical screening,
- Unplanned pregnancy advice,
- Free pregnancy tests,
- Pre-conception advice and fertility awareness information, and
- Fitting and checking of caps, diaphragms, and coils (intrauterine devices, or IUDs).
Further Information on Women’s Health is available on the NHS Live Well website.