FAQs

What can I get from the drop in?

• Free condoms and lube
• Pregnancy testing
• Chlamydia testing
• We have a nurse in twice a week from Conifer, on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, who can give you to access hormonal forms of contraception (pill; patch; injection; implant/rod).
• A health worker from Conifer services who can give a full sexual health screening, which includes blood tests for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis, as well as chalmydia and gonorrhoea.
• You are always welcome to pop in for a chat and find out more about what we do and can offer.

Is it free?

Yes, all of our services are free of charge.

Will you tell anyone I've been in?

We are a confidential service, this means will never tell anyone that you have been in or what you've talked about - UNLESS we are worried for your safety, or someone else’s safety.  We will always tell you if we need to speak to someone else first and keep you up to date with what has happened.

So no, we will not call your parents, we won't tell your mates in the waiting room, or school, or your doctors... or anyone!

What happens when I come in to the drop in for…

Condoms:

We very simply take a few confidential details from you and ask you which condoms you would like.  You can have a mixed pack, or just the ones you prefer.

You can also ask for free lube – all the lube we give out is water based so safe to use with condoms.

Pregnancy testing:

No appointment is needed, we can do a test with you when you come in, but we can’t give them to you to take away. 

We will ask you a few questions to determine if we can do a test for you that day or if another service is needed.  If we can test you we will ask you to pee in a sample pot in the toilets, which we then use for our dip stick test in our private clinic room.  We will ask you a few questions, these are only so we can give you better information and help.  The test takes a few minutes then we will give you the result positive means you are pregnant, negative means you are not pregnant.

The worker will discuss the result with you and explain what might be going to happen next.  For example you may be advised to come back the next week to double check if it’s not been long since you had unprotected sex.

Our workers will never force you into a decision about your options.

Chlamydia testing:

If you ask for a STI test, we can test you for chlamydia and gonorrhoea any day which we are open using the same test. You can either wee in a pot if you’re male or female, or females can do a self swab instead (this is basically a long cotton bud you wipe around the inside of the vagina yourself). 

We take a few details to go with the test so we can get in touch if you need treatment, and that’s it!

None of the Cornerhouse workers are medically trained, we don’t look at your genitals, if you have a symptom that needs checking we would advise you to go to Conifer Services up the road to see a nurse/doctor there as they may be able to give you treatment that same day.

If it is your first visit to us and you are:

Under 16

We must complete an extra form with you on your first visit, it doesn’t take long and is there making sure you are safe and not being hurt in any way. This is all confidential, even though we will ask some personal questions, we will not tell anyone about your visit, unless we are worried about you and we will always tell you first if we are going to do this.  We will record a few bits of information which is stored until you are 16 and then we shred it.

Over 16

If it is your first visit and you are over 16, we only need to take a few details but we will make sure you know what else you can get from us, and tell you about the different types of condoms and services. 

Why do you take information from me?

We need to record who we see to prove the work that we do, the easiest way to do this is to take a few deatails from you.  We will ask for: 

• your initials
• your ethnicity (eg. British)
• your date of birth and age
• the first part of your postcode (eg. HU1)

We will then record what you have come in for, eg. a pack of condoms, or a test, and that is it!

Will I be judged?

Cornerhouse is a completely non-judgemental organisation.  We are here to listen, support you and give information, not judge you for something which has happened or you have done.  We won’t be shocked, we won’t judge you and it will never effect the treatment you receive from us.  Please just ask for whatever you need and we will support you in any way we can.

Will I be told off for not using condoms?

You will not be told off for not using condoms, we know mistakes happen and people don’t always use condoms or forget their pill.  We are not here to tell you off, only find ways in which you can protect yourself and your partner and stay safe.

Can I choose my own condoms?

YES! At Cornerhouse we think it is very important that you have a full range of condoms to choose from.  We use LTC Healthcare (EXS) and Pasante condoms to cover our client’s needs.  No we do not stock durex at the moment.

We offer: ‘regular’, ‘ribs and dots’, ‘air thin’, ‘flavours’ ‘trim’, ‘king size’ and ‘super king’, as well as a range of ‘fun’ condoms which will usually be regular size such as ‘glow in the dark’.

We also have latex free condoms (we don't need a letter from your doctor), female condoms and dental dams for free.

Can I choose to see a man or a woman?

Yes, you can choose to talk to any worker you like, where we have a male and female worker you will of course have the choice, however we can’t guarantee that there will always be both in our young people’s drop in or other services. 

Although we completely understand why someone may be more comfortable speaking with one gender over another, please be assured that we will always try to make you feel comfortable and able to speak to us about anything whatever your gender and needs.

Will I have to wait to be seen at the drop in?

Usually people are seen pretty quickly at the drop in, however at busy times you may have to wait for a bit.  This is a walk in service so you can always pop back if you don’t want to wait, or grab a sofa and make yourself comfortable, if you’re lucky you might even get a brew!

Do I need an appointment?

If you want to see the nurse for contraception you may have to wait a few weeks as it is a very busy service.  Alternatively you can access contraception Monday-Saturday through Conifer services which is a drop in service, however waiting times are different all the time and we wouldn’t be able to advise you on how long you might be waiting.

If you want a full STI check you can usually make an appointment to see our health worker the same week, she is in every Wednesday afternoon, but if you pop in they will fit you in where possible but you might have a short wait or be advised the what time she will be free.

What if I miss my appointment?

We appreciate it if you can let us know if you will not be able to make an appointment so we can then offer the time to someone else call us to rearrange your appointment, 01482336322

I want regular support, can you do this?

Yes, you are always welcome to pop in for a chat at the drop in, however if you feel you need more, speak to a worker and if we can't help we can find other workers and services that all offer varying levels of support which might be able to help. This will be likely to require a referral to be made, you can often do this yourself or sometimes social workers or school’s might do this, depending on how many people are already being supported it can take a bit of time for your support to start.

Can I bring someone with me?

Yes this is not a problem.  Lots of people come in with their partners or friends.  You can bring your children or younger siblings with you (although please be aware they have to stay with you for safety). You might want to come with a support worker from another service, some people come in come in with their parents! Any of this is fine, we want you to feel comfortable.  Also, if you come in with someone, but you don’t want them in the private room with you, let us know and we will make sure you are seen alone.

How old do I have to be?

We will talk to you at any age although we really work with 13-19 year olds. 

You need to be 13 to get condoms from us, if you are 12 or under and tell us you are having sex we would have to take that information further to make sure you are not being hurt.  We want young people to come into see us even if you aren’t having sex, so don’t worry if you’re not, it means you will know where to go when you are ready.

If you are under 16 and having sex you can still get confidential services from us.

If you are 20+ you can pop in if you know where we are and need to ask something, but the service for you is called MESMAC

What does confidentiality mean?

Confidentiality means that your information is kept private.  We will not tell anyone that you have been in to see us or what for, unless we are worried about your safety.  If you are under 16 we have got to tell someone if you tell us that you or someone else is being harmed in some way.  For example, if you told us someone was forcing you to have sex, we would be concerned about your safety and have to tell someone.  You will always know if this is going to happen, we would discuss it with you first, but we would have to take it further.  Usually this means a referral to social services.

Do condoms come in different sizes?

Yes, there are lots of different sizes, we have 4 different sizes usually. 

Men can worry about the size of their penis, and often make jokes about their friends needing different sizes – we’ve hear that joke every day! 

We want to reassure you we don’t judge you for whatever you ask for.  Condoms, whatever the size are usually fairly similar in length, and the main difference is in the width/circumference of that condom.  The difference can be a few millimetres between sizes, but this could be the difference between your condoms falling off or splitting, or fitting you and protecting you from both STIs and pregnancy.  If you are a young man trying to find out what you should use, we advise you to go try them on on your own to see what feels comfortable for you!

How do you use a condom?

Condoms are really easy to use and are 98% effective a preventing pregnancy and STIs when used correctly, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the penis is fully erect before putting on a condom.
2. Check the use-by-date. Also look for any damage to the packet.
3. Check the packet for the kitemark and / or the CE mark
4. Push the condom to one side and hold out the way. Open the condom packet carefully at one side. Let go of the condom and gently squeeze it out of the packet.
5. Hold the end of the condom to squeeze the air out. This is very important as allowing air to stay in the end could make it split.
6. Roll the condom down the penis. Be careful of long nails and jewellery
7. After sex, remove the condom by holding the bottom and sliding it off.
8. Tie a knot in the condom, and throw it in the bin. Never flush them down the toilet!

If the condom is too tight or slips off during sex please ask about different sizes, fitting and thickness