South West England from Swindon to Plymouth: health services and safety

From Swindon to the far end of Cornwall, sexual health services are commissioned by each council, which is why every area has a different name and number. All of them are free, confidential and open without a GP referral. Details checked on 18 October 2026.

Clinics and booking numbers

Each part of the South West has its own provider; this table shows which one is yours and how to get in.

For Gloucestershire, Wiltshire outside Chippenham, Bath and North East Somerset, and Somerset, use the NHS clinic finder with your postcode.

Swindon

Swindon runs walk-in sessions at set times on Monday afternoons, Thursday evenings and Friday mornings; if a session is full you'll be offered the next appointment.

Devon's clinics, town by town

Devon Sexual Health's main clinics in Barnstaple, Exeter and Torquay offer appointments from 9am to 5pm on weekdays. Smaller community clinics are appointment only, and walk-ins can't be seen:

To book a community clinic online you'll need to register with My Devon Sexual Health first. Devon's clinics also provide PrEP, medicine that protects against HIV when taken before sex.

Cornwall and Dorset

In Cornwall, Brook provides the council's free service: STI testing (including postal tests) and treatment, HIV testing and support, PrEP and PEP, emergency contraception, and free condoms through the C-Card scheme. Some testing and contraception is available online. In Dorset, Dorset HealthCare describes its service as free contraception and sexual health care for all ages, and you can contact it directly for an appointment.

Testing at home

Free postal kits are available in several South West areas, but each service runs its own.

• Swindon: if you have no symptoms, you can order a free STI testing kit online through Swindon Sexual Health.
• Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire: Yuno is built as a "digital front door" for advice, contraception and STI testing; start online.
• Cornwall: Brook offers postal STI tests.
• Devon, Plymouth and Dorset: check each service's website for current self-testing options.

Kits are for people without symptoms. With symptoms, book a clinic. The free STI testing guide explains what happens next.

Time-critical help

Anything involving a possible HIV exposure or a split condom needs sorting within days, not weeks.

• HIV PEP has to start within 72 hours of sex, and the sooner the better. Call a clinic, or go to A&E out of hours.
• Emergency contraception is free from clinics and, since October 2025, from most community pharmacies in England after a confidential chat with the pharmacist.

More on the sexual health hub.

After a sexual assault

The South West has specialist centres in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro, and you can use them without going to the police.

• The Bridge, the sexual assault referral centre at Central Health Clinic, Tower Hill, Bristol, answers 24 hours a day, every day, on 0117 342 6999. It serves adults living in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, and Somerset.
• Devon and Cornwall SARCs, run by Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, have centres in Exeter, Plymouth and Truro and support people across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The 24-hour information line is 0300 303 4626.

For Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon, find your nearest SARC through the NHS; you can book directly. For support at any hour, Rape Crisis England & Wales runs a free 24/7 line on 0808 500 2222 for anyone aged 16 or over. In an emergency call 999; if you can't talk, stay on the line and press 55.

Meeting in a rural area

Much of the South West is a long way from the next town, and that shapes a first meet more than anything else. A pub in a village where your date knows everyone, or a car park at the end of a single-track lane, isn't the same as a busy bar in Bristol or Exeter.

• Pick somewhere with people around, mobile signal and a way home that doesn't depend on your date.
• Check the last bus or train before you set a time; in rural Devon and Cornwall it can be early.
• Drive yourself if you can, and keep the keys and your phone on you.
• Share the address and your date's profile with a friend, and agree a time to check in.

The meeting safely checklist covers the rest, and the consent guide is worth a read before things go further.

Bringing up testing before you meet

Asking a match when they last had a check-up is normal, and easier in a message than in the moment. Keep it light and about both of you. An example of how it might go: "Before we meet, I had a full screen at the clinic last month and it was all clear. When did you last get checked?" If they haven't, the free services above make it simple, and a cagey or sulky reply tells you something useful. Our guide to saying what you want before you meet has more ways to raise it.

Reporting scams and crimes

Report Fraud covers every South West county; for threats or image abuse, contact your local police force.

1. Dating fraud: ring your bank straight away (159 connects you to most UK banks), then report to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
2. Harassment, threats or intimate image abuse: your local force on 101 (Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire or Wiltshire), or 999 in an emergency.
3. A member's profile: the members help centre, with the username.

If a match asks for money or pushes you to move to another app, read how to spot a fake profile. The safety and consent page has the national numbers.