Young Persons Clinic (Free and Confidential)
Held at Hetton Medical Practice (run by young people)
14yrs – 25 yrs, 5:30pm – 7:30pm, Alternate Mondays
GP and Nurse available to help, listen and offer advice.
You don’t need to be registered with the practice to attend as the practice is registered on the C Card Scheme.
Check out their Facebook page: Coalfields Houghton le Spring Young Persons Clinic
Confidentiality
What does this mean to you the young person? Click on the links below.
Confidentiality – your rights Under 16 yrs
Consent your Rights – under 16 yrs
Information for Parents
Alcohol & Drugs
From the second you take your first sip, alcohol starts to affect your body and mind.
Some of the alcohol effects disappear overnight – but others can stay with you a lot longer or indeed become permanent.
While drinking alcohol can make you feel happy carefree and part of the group, it can also make you vulnerable more likely to take risks.
Want information and help regarding drugs and alcohol? Click on the links
Sexual Health
Are you ready for sex?
Most people have sex for the first time when they’re 16 or older, not before. If your mates are bragging about having sex, it’s possible that they’re pretending.
Although there’s a legal age of consent, it’s not necessarily the right age that you feel ready to start having sex.
There are no rules about how long you have to be going out with someone before you’re ready, being ready happens at different times for everyone – don’t decide to have sex just because your friends are pressuring you.
Deciding when to have sex
Working out whether you’re ready is one of life’s big decisions. You’re the only one who can, and should, decide. Whether you’re thinking about losing your virginity or having sex again.
It’s your choice to choose whether you want to have sex, whoever you’re with. Just because you’ve done it before, even with the same person, doesn’t mean that you have to do it again.
Talking about sex
It’s better to have an embarrassing discussion about sex than an embarrassing sexual encounter before you’re ready.
There are lots of things to think and talk about, such as:
- are you both ready?
- will you be having sex for the right reasons and not because of peer pressure?
Sex isn’t the only aspect of a relationship, and there are other ways of enjoying each other’s company. You can do other things that you both like, such as talking, meeting each other’s family and friends, going to the cinema, doing sport, walking, and listening to music.
nhs.uk/livewell/sexandyoungpeople/
Feeling Comfortable
You need to have the confidence to work out how you want to respond if sex comes up, and how far to go. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable. Is it the right time, the right place, and with the right person?
Do you really trust the person, and do you feel the same way about one another?
If you think you might want to have sex, ask yourself?
- Does it feel right?
- Do I love my partner?
- Does he/she love me just as much?
- Have we talked about using condoms, what did we decide?
- Have we got contraception organised to protect against pregnancy?
- Do I feel able to say ‘no’ at any point if I change my mind, and will we both be OK with that?
If you answer yes to all these questions, the time may be right. But if you answer yes to any of the following questions, it might not be:
- Do I feel under pressure from anyone, such as my partner or friends?
- Could I have any regrets afterwards?
- Am I thinking about having sex just to impress my friends or keep up with them?
- Am I thinking about having sex in order to keep my partner?
Being in a relationship doesn’t mean you have to have sex.
Even if you’ve done it once or twice you still need to make sure that your boyfriend or girlfriend is as keen as you each time.
Safer Sex
When you decide to have sex, consider the possibility of pregnancy and/or catching a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea.
It’s important to talk about contraception and condoms before you have sex, both of you have a responsibility to have this conversation.
Using condoms
Condoms to reduce the risk of catching an STI, whoever you are having sex with.
If you’re a boy/girl couple, you need to use an additional form of contraception to prevent an unintended pregnancy.
Lesbian, gay or bisexual couples
If you have lesbian, gay or bisexual sex you can still get or pass on STIs. You still need to know about contraception in case you have straight sex as well.
Choosing the right contraception
There are many different kinds of contraception, including the implant, injection, the combined pill and the progestogen-only pill. Most kinds of contraception are used by girls, but both of you have a responsibility to consider which you will use. A pregnancy will affect both of you.
Sometimes the time is not right to start a family and you need to know your options for contraception or in some cases termination of an unplanned pregnancy.
Advice is available from your local family planning CaSH clinic or GP surgery.
CaSH Clinics
Tel: 0191 569 9966
Clinics held at:
- Houghton PCC
- Washington PCC
- Bunnyhill PCC
- Springwell HC
- Sunderland Royal Hospital
Or you can contact Chester-le-Street hub: 03000 261 112
For advice nhs/private termination – information Newcastle bpas clinic: bpas.org/
If you are worried or do not wish to see your GP regarding termination you can self-refer to:-
- Ward 40 Day Unit RVI Hospital Newcastle
- Tel: 0191 282 9300
OR
- Durham & Darlington
- Tel: 01388 455333
- Clinics held at UHND or Chester-le-Street
Mental Health
Do you need to talk?
At times young people need to talk and sometimes the parents are not always the best people to talk to for one reason or another. Having said that your best friend may not be the one either!
Sunderland has many services available to young people, these are listed below.
MIND Washington
Mind offer a wide range of special services for young people. They can help sort our young peoples thoughts and feelings and enable things to change. If you are aged 13 yrs to 25 yrs. If you would like to get in touch with them follow the link below
Tel: 0191 4178043
Website: washingtonmind.org.uk/
Email: [email protected]
Your local surgery
westbournegp.nhs.uk (although if you are reading this you are already on our site)
OR
wellbeinginfo.org/
School Nurse
Tel: 0191 5171191
Can offer advice and support for young people and parents on any health issues including feelings and emotions, behaviour issues, weight management, sexual health, continence, smoking.
They also have drop In sessions for young people to discuss general health issues, smoking, alcohol and drugs, sexual health and relationships, emotions and feelings, additional health and support needs.
Housing
Leaving home is something that most people think about at some stage in their lives.
It’s the time when you leave your family and strike out on your own.
Young Peoples Questionnaire
Twice a year Laura our Nurse Practitioner collects information from young people attending the surgery. This is to help us improve our services to Young People.
The questions have been written by young people to access their satisfaction with how they are treated at the Surgery.
If you wish to participate please contact the surgery at [email protected]