Sexual health & HIV in Blackpool

Blackpool is one of the easiest places in the North West for LGBTQ+ people to look after their sexual health. There is a community-run drop-in clinic a few minutes' walk from the Queen Street bars, NHS clinics with walk-in sessions, a monthly clinic just for trans and gender-diverse people, and a free postal service for test kits, PrEP and condoms. This page explains what each one offers and which to pick.

The quick version

• Live locally or here for a while, no symptoms, want a check-up? Go to the Tuesday evening drop-in on Dickson Road, or order a free kit to your home.
• Have symptoms, or need treatment? Book with the NHS sexual health service on 0300 1234 154 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or use a walk-in session at Whitegate Drive.
• Want PrEP? Ask at any NHS sexual health clinic, at the trans and gender-diverse clinic, or order it online through the free postal service the Blackpool and Lancashire service uses.
• Think you have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours? Don't wait. Ask about PEP (see below).

The Rainbow Quarter drop-in: Tuesdays on Dickson Road

The LGBTQ+ health charity based at 102 Dickson Road (FY1 2BU), in the heart of the Rainbow Quarter, runs a free and confidential fast-track clinic every Tuesday from 5pm to 8pm. It began life as a clinic for men who have sex with men and is still widely known on the scene as the M2M clinic, but today it welcomes anyone aged 16 or over without symptoms.

What you can get there:

• Chlamydia and gonorrhoea tests, using self-taken swabs or a urine sample in a private bathroom. Results usually come back within one to two weeks.
• HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C finger-prick tests, with results while you wait.
• PrEP advice, and a check on whether you are eligible for hepatitis, HPV and mpox vaccinations.
• Free condoms and lube to take home.

You can simply turn up during opening hours, or book ahead by calling 01253 311431, emailing enquiries@ren-uk.com or filling in the charity's online form. Staff ask for two reliable ways to contact you so results reach you. A reactive finger-prick result is passed straight to the NHS clinic for confirmation and treatment, so you are not left on your own with it.

The drop-in is not the right place if you have symptoms such as discharge, pain or sores. In that case staff will point you to the NHS clinic, which can examine and treat you.

NHS sexual health clinics

The Blackpool and Lancashire Sexual Health Service is the NHS service for the whole area. It offers STI and HIV testing and treatment, contraception and emergency contraception. Its central booking line is 0300 1234 154, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and you can also book online.

Clinics in and around Blackpool:

• Whitegate Health Centre, 150 Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9ES. Walk-in sessions run on weekday mornings, 9am to 11am, or you can book. Walk-in sessions don't offer contraception and waits can be long, so arrive early.
• Connect Young People's Centre, 26 Talbot Road, Blackpool FY1 1LF. For under-25s only, with weekday drop-ins, a Saturday morning session and a Monday evening appointment clinic. Call 01253 955856.
• Kirkham Clinic (Moor Street) and the Fleetwood clinic (Pharos Street) serve Fylde and Wyre by appointment. The St Annes clinic has been temporarily closed.

The NHS service also runs a psychosexual therapy service for problems with sex and intimacy. Ask through the booking line.

The Phoenix Clinic for trans and gender-diverse people

The Phoenix Clinic is a free sexual and reproductive health clinic just for trans and gender-diverse people. In Blackpool it runs on the second Wednesday evening of each month at Whitegate Health Centre, with a sister clinic in Preston on the first Thursday.

It offers STI testing and treatment, PrEP and PEP, doxy-PEP, hepatitis A and B testing and vaccination, HPV and MenB vaccines, cervical screening for anyone over 25 with a cervix, contraception and emergency contraception, plus peer support. Records are kept separately from your GP record, and your GP won't know you've attended unless you agree. Book on 0300 1234 154. There is more on our trans and non-binary support page.

Testing at home

If a clinic visit doesn't suit you, the Blackpool and Lancashire service uses a free online sexual health clinic for postal testing. You order a kit online and it arrives in plain packaging by first-class post. Kits can test for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. You take your own samples, post them back free, and get a text or email when results are ready, usually within two or three days. Lancashire residents over 16 can order. Exactly which tests and extras you can get depends on your postcode.

PrEP

PrEP is a daily or event-based pill that stops HIV taking hold. It is free on the NHS. In Blackpool you have three routes:

1. Through the NHS clinic. Call 0300 1234 154 and say you'd like to start PrEP. You'll need an HIV test and kidney check first, then regular check-ups.
2. By post. The free online service offers PrEP managed entirely online, with no need to visit a clinic, for eligible residents.
3. At the Phoenix Clinic, if you are trans or gender diverse.

The Tuesday drop-in on Dickson Road can talk you through whether PrEP suits you and help you get started.

PrEP access is a priority locally. The council's Rainbow Quarter action plan commits to reviewing sexual health and PrEP access and to Blackpool's goal of ending new HIV transmissions.

PEP: emergency HIV prevention

PEP is a month-long course of HIV medication that can stop an infection if started within 72 hours of exposure, and the sooner the better. In working hours, call the sexual health service on 0300 1234 154. Out of hours, go to the emergency department at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. The Phoenix Clinic can also provide PEP for trans and gender-diverse patients.

Free condoms and lube

• By post: The Dickson Road charity runs a free postal condom service for people aged 16 and over living in Blackpool, Lancashire or Blackburn with Darwen who are men who have sex with men, trans or non-binary, sex workers, or from the Black African community. Packs include regular, larger, latex-free and flavoured condoms with water-based lube, in plain packaging, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or as a one-off. It is for individuals only, so venues can't sign up. Reply to the activation email after ordering, or nothing gets posted.
• In person: Pick them up at the Tuesday drop-in or any NHS clinic.
• Out and about: The charity's outreach team and its testing van visit LGBTQ+ venues and events, including Pride, with condoms, lube and testing.

Vaccines worth asking about

Ask at any clinic about hepatitis A and B, HPV (offered free to gay and bisexual men and to trans people up to a certain age) and mpox. Eligibility rules change, so staff will check what you can have.

Good to know

• Everything on this page is free and confidential.
• You don't need to be registered with a Blackpool GP to use the NHS clinic, so visitors can use it too.
• If you're 16 or over you can use services without a parent's permission. Under-25s may find the Talbot Road young people's centre more relaxed.

Clinic times and services can change, so check before you go.