“Due to staff shortages there may be a delay of up to 10 days before you receive your STI test kit. Please bear with us – do not call us within this 10 day period.”
This online service is for Plymouth and residents of Devon and Cornwall only.
If you live in Cornwall, you can also get online sampling kits by visiting sexualhealthcornwall.co.uk.
If you live in North Devon, Exeter or Torbay you can also order online sampling kits from Devon Sexual Health
We will only send out one kit in each 3 month period. If you feel you need testing more frequently, you must call us to discuss your individual requirements.
The kit will arrive with you within 5 working days.
For confidentiality and privacy reasons we do not routinely send out order confirmation emails or texts. However, if there are any queries, we may text or email you.
If you are under 16 we cannot send out kits. Please call us on 01752 431124 to book a telephone consultation.
Under 18’s only: if you find it difficult to make a telephone call, email us on plh-tr.ship-ha@nhs.net and we will get back to you.
13-24 year olds are eligible for free condoms by post – Link.
When to test
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing
STIs may not show up on tests straight away after sex – this delay is known as the ‘window period’:
– for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, the window period is 2 weeks
(please note the chlamydia test can remain ‘positive’ for 6 weeks after treatment, even though the infection has cleared. Do not re-test within this 6 week period)
Getting your results
If your test results are ‘negative’ (all clear) we will let you know by text message (SMS), within 14 days of us receiving your samples.
We send this text once all your tests are back and the text will specifically name each STI. For example, ‘Your online test results are negative (all clear) for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV‘.
If your test results are ‘positive’ for chlamydia we will send you a text message (SMS). For example, ‘Your online test results show you have chlamydia’. For other positive test results, we will call.
By ordering a kit online you are consenting to receive any of these text messages.
If you need a blood test at home
You may be eligible for additional HIV and syphilis testing – in which case the kit will include equipment for collecting your own blood.
Please watch this short video (just over 1 minute long) which shows the best way to get your blood sample:
Your kit is linked to you by code – do not use someone else’s kit.
Please be extra careful that auto-fill does not fill data fields with someone else’s details.
If you are military personnel, please include your service number as part of your address so that we can deliver the kit to you directly and confidentially.