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CAMISH

Free and confidential service for people aged 24 and under in Camden and Islington, offering sexual health screening, contraception, pregnancy testing and wellbeing support.

CAMISH stands for the Camden and Islington Young People’s Sexual Health network. It is a partnership between Brook and Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) Sexual Health Services.

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how can we help?

Welcome to Brook CAMISH! We’re here to help people in Camden and Islington aged 24 and under with their sexual health and wellbeing. Whatever is going on, our friendly team will support you with what you need. All our services are free and confidential.

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Please note

Certain types of contraception are only offered on certain days or at certain clinics, so please get in touch before visiting to make sure we are able to help you.

Free condoms

Anyone aged 24 or under living in Camden or Islington can register for a C-Card to get free external condoms, internal condoms and lube. C-Card is free and confidential.

To access free condoms you will first need to register with the scheme by visiting a C-Card registration point or by registering online (16+ only).

Once registered, you will be able to collect free condoms from a number of outlets across Camden and Islington, including pharmacies, GP surgeries, colleges and youth services.

Outlets will let you know they are part of the scheme by displaying the C-Card logo in their window, and you can search for an outlet near you on the Come Correct website.

Free STI testing

Young people aged 24 and under can access confidential, safe and easy access to testing and treatment for STIs from both Brook Euston and the Archway Centre.

Brook recommends testing two weeks after unprotected sex (sex without a condom) to ensure an accurate result. For HIV testing, you need to wait 6 weeks to take a test in order to get the most accurate result.

Remember: lots of STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, don’t always present symptoms, meaning you can have an STI without knowing.

You can also get a free STI home test kit from SHL (Sexual Health London). SHL kits can test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV and syphilis, though you don’t have to provide the blood sample for HIV and syphilis testing if you don’t want to. Following their consultation, some people may be offered additional test for other STIs.

Order a free home test kit from SHL

STI testing FAQs

  1. Visit www.shl.uk and register or log in.
  2. Complete a short online consultation. They will ask you a few questions to find out what service you’d like to use and make sure it’s right for you.
  3. SHL will review your order, usually the same day, and send a kit directly to the address you provide in a white plastic bag with no identifying markings or logos.
  4. When your kit arrives, you can complete the test at home (or wherever you feel comfortable doing it). Depending on which genitals you have and which STIs you are testing for, you will either need to provide a urine sample or take a vaginal swab and/or take a finger-prick blood sample. There will also be a form that includes additional information and instructions showing how to collect and return your sample(s) to SHL for testing. It’s really important you complete this form carefully and return it with your samples.
  5. Send your sample back to SHL using the freepost envelope provided.
  6. SHL will process you test and send your results directly to you via the method you chose when registering, which will be either by text or by email.

If you have symptoms of an STI, we recommend contacting a sexual health service or your GP as soon as possible as you might get fast-tracked straight in to treatment.

Remember: lots of STIs, such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, don’t always present symptoms, meaning you can have an STI without knowing. It’s important to get tested every time you have sex with a new partner, and if you are in a long-term relationship it’s recommended to get tested about once a year. 

IMPORTANT: Don’t pass it on! If you do have symptoms that you think are an STI, you should avoid sexual contact with others until you have completed your treatment so you don’t pass it on to anyone else.

If your STI test results come back positive, CAMISH will support you with accessing treatment and support through Brook Euston or the Archway Centre. If you ordered a home test through SHL you’ll need to get in touch with one of our services if you receive a positive result.

If you test positive for chlamydia, you may have the option to get treatment by post from SHL.

If you do test positive for an STI, it is important that you avoid sexual contact with others until you have completed treatment to make sure you don’t pass it on.

It is also recommended that you notify previous sexual partners so they are able to seek testing and treatment if needed. CAMISH services can help with this through our anonymous partner notification system. This means you can let your previous partner’s know they should get tested without them knowing it was you who told them.

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Information about privacy and confidentiality when using CAMISH services

CAMISH services are confidential and both Brook and the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) adhere at all times to data protection legislation.

Find out more about how we collect, use and store your information.

SHL is not part of the CAMISH partnership. Information about data privacy and confidentiality when using SHL for at-home STI testing is available at shl.uk/terms.

We are also able provide education sessions and targeted 1:1 support for young people, and training for professionals to support the delivery of safe and effective Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).

More about education and outreach

Referring into CAMISH

Young people do not need a referral to access CAMISH sexual health services.

If you’re a professional looking to refer into CAMISH services, see our page with details.

How to refer a young person

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