Wales, from Cardiff to Wrexham: free sexual health services and safety

Wales does two things well for casual daters: a national free home testing service that works wherever you live, and health-board clinics that are free and need no GP referral. Most adult clinics are now appointment-only, so phone first. Details checked on 18 October 2026.

Which route suits you?

Most people without symptoms can test at home; anyone with symptoms, or who needs something urgent, should go through a clinic, a pharmacy or NHS 111 Wales.

Free home testing: Test and Post

Test and Post is Public Health Wales's free national postal testing service, ordered online through the Sexual Health Wales website, shwales.online.

• Chlamydia and gonorrhoea: urine, vaginal, throat and rectal swab kits.
• Blood-borne viruses: a finger-prick blood kit for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
• Delivery: the kit should arrive within three to five working days, and goes back to the lab in a pre-paid envelope. Fill in the request form, because samples can't be tested without it.
• Results: usually about seven days after you post your kit back, up to 21 days at busy times, by text from NHS Wales. If anything is positive, your local sexual health service contacts you to arrange free treatment.
• "Reactive" isn't "positive": it means another test is needed, often a second blood sample at a clinic, and in many cases the final result is negative.
• Not covered: home kits don't test for mpox. If that's your worry, phone your local sexual health service.

Kits can also be collected in person from community pick-up points in every health board area, including some clinics, pharmacies and universities. Many pick-up points serve people aged 16 and over; some are only for 13 to 25-year-olds through the C-Card condom scheme. Our free STI testing guide explains how the samples work.

Clinics by health board

Each of Wales's seven health boards runs its own sexual health service, and adults generally need an appointment.

For Swansea Bay, Aneurin Bevan (Newport and Gwent), Hywel Dda and Powys, look up your health board's sexual health service on NHS 111 Wales. The helplines can be busy and don't take voicemail, so keep trying. Out of hours, call NHS 111 Wales.

When you get through, you don't need to explain much. An example of what's enough: "Hi, I'd like an STI check. I've had a new partner and I've got some discharge, so I think I need to be seen rather than use a home kit." The clinician will ask the rest.

Time-critical help

PEP and emergency contraception both work better the sooner you get them, so don't wait for a routine slot.

• HIV PEP has to start within 72 hours of sex, ideally much sooner. Contact a sexual health clinic straight away; out of hours, call NHS 111 Wales for advice.
• Emergency contraception is free from community pharmacies in Wales for anyone aged 13 or over who has had unprotected sex in the past five days, as well as from sexual health clinics. The sooner it's taken, the better.

Our sexual health hub explains both.

After a sexual assault

You can get medical care and support in Wales without going to the police first, in Welsh or English.

• Live Fear Free, the helpline promoted by the Welsh Government for anyone experiencing domestic abuse or sexual violence, is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day: call 0808 80 10 800, text 07860077333, or use live chat. Calls in Welsh are welcome.
• Ynys Saff, the sexual assault referral centre at Cardiff Royal Infirmary, is on 02920 335795 and takes calls in Welsh, English and BSL. Outside hours, leave a message on the confidential answerphone and staff will call back.
• Rape Crisis 24/7 Support Line: 0808 500 2222, for anyone 16 or over in England and Wales.

In an emergency call 999; if you can't speak, press 55.

What the law says in Wales

Wales shares its criminal law on sex with England, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

• Consent: under section 74, a person consents if they agree by choice and have the freedom and capacity to make that choice. Someone too drunk to decide doesn't have that capacity.
• Unsolicited explicit images: sending a photo or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, or for sexual gratification while reckless about that, is an offence under section 66A.
• Sharing intimate images: sharing, or threatening to share, an intimate photo or film of someone without their consent is an offence under section 66B.

The consent guide explains how this plays out in practice, and the discretion guide covers keeping your own photos and details private.

Reporting scams and crimes in Wales

Wales uses Report Fraud for scams and its four police forces for everything else.

1. Dating fraud: call your bank first (159 reaches most UK banks on a number that can't be spoofed), then Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
2. Threats, harassment or intimate image abuse: South Wales Police, Gwent Police, Dyfed-Powys Police or North Wales Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.
3. A member's profile: the members help centre, with the username.

Meeting someone in Cardiff on a Saturday night, or in a quieter town where everyone knows everyone? The meeting safely checklist is worth five minutes, and the fake profiles guide shows the patterns scammers follow. National numbers are on the safety and consent page.