Partner notification support

What is partner notification support?

If you are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, your recent sexual partners may also be at risk, even if they feel well. Partner notification is the confidential process of letting those partners know they should get tested and, if needed, treated. Sexual health services offer support to make this easier and less daunting.

You are in control of how it happens. You can tell partners yourself, sometimes with a slip, link or message provided by the clinic. Or the clinic can contact them for you without naming you, so the partner learns they may have been exposed but not who passed on the information. This is sometimes called anonymous, provider or clinic notification.

The aim is not blame. It is to break the chain of infection, protect people's health, and prevent you being reinfected by an untreated partner. Many infections cause no symptoms, so notification is often the only way a partner finds out.

This service is confidential and non-judgemental. Staff will discuss which partners to consider and over what time period, and will support whatever method you are most comfortable with.

Types, options & approaches

There may be different ways to do this. The right approach depends on the clinical question and your circumstances.

Options at a glance

These are the main approaches described in this guide. The right option depends on the diagnosis, your goals and what your clinician thinks is safe.

Preparing for your appointment

• Bring, as best you can, details of recent partners, such as a name, phone number, social media or app handle.
• Think about how far back the clinic suggests looking for the particular infection.
• Consider which method you would feel most comfortable with: telling them yourself, or the clinic doing it anonymously.
• Note any partner you have concerns about telling, for example where you feel unsafe, so staff can help.
• Remember the conversation is confidential and you will not be judged.
• Ask what support exists if you find these conversations difficult.

What happens

A member of the sexual health team talks with you, in confidence, about your recent partners. There is no judgement; the goal is to protect people's health. Together you work out which partners should be advised to test, and over what period, based on your diagnosis.

For each partner, you decide the method. You might choose to tell them yourself, using wording or an anonymous message link the clinic provides. Or you can ask the clinic to contact them for you, in which case they are told they may have been exposed and should get tested, without your name being shared.

If you have only an app username or limited contact details, staff can advise on anonymous online options. They will also make sure you have what you need for your own treatment and follow-up, and check whether you feel safe in your relationships.

Is this appointment right for me?

A good consultation should explore whether it's the right choice for you now — including reasons to wait or consider something else.

Before you decide

Use this as a shared-decision checklist. The aim is not just “can this be done?”, but whether it is right for you, now, with the risks and alternatives clearly understood.

Partner notification is designed to protect you as well as your partners. Confidentiality is taken seriously, and the clinic can act without naming you. The most important thing to raise is any worry about your safety, for example if telling a partner could put you at risk; tell staff, who can plan the safest approach and link you to support.

Published figures to discuss

Partner notification is a supportive process, not a procedure, so adverse-event rates do not apply in the usual sense. How many partners are successfully reached depends on the infection, how complete the contact details are, and which method is used. Because this varies widely, no fixed figures are given here.

These are literature figures, not a personalised prediction. Your own risks and likely benefits depend on your circumstances, your health, and how your care is carried out and followed up.

What happens afterwards

There is nothing physical involved. Afterwards is mainly about your own treatment and follow-up, and knowing the process is moving forward for your partners.

• Feeling relieved once the conversation is over and a plan is in place.
• Some ongoing anxiety about partners' reactions, which usually eases.
• No physical effects from the process itself.
• Getting on with your own treatment and any retesting advised.

Aftercare

• Complete your own treatment exactly as advised.
• Avoid sex, or use condoms, until you and treated partners are clear to do so.
• Use any anonymous slips, links or messages the clinic gave you to reach partners.
• Let the clinic know if you cannot reach a partner, so they can help.
• Attend any retest advised to confirm your infection has cleared.
• Reach out to the service if the conversations are causing you distress, or if you feel unsafe.

• Save the clinic contact and any anonymous notification link provided.
• List the partners you have agreed to contact and how.
• Note which partners the clinic will contact for you.
• Set a reminder for your own treatment and any retest.
• Plan how you will avoid passing on infection meanwhile.
• Know who to contact if you have safety concerns.

⚠ Get urgent help if…

• Feeling unsafe, threatened or at risk of harm from a partner — tell staff, who can plan the safest approach and signpost support.
• Severe distress, hopelessness or thoughts of harming yourself — seek urgent help and tell the service.
• New or worsening symptoms of your own infection, such as pain, fever or spreading rash.
• Being unable to reach an important contact, so the clinic can step in.
• A partner becoming aggressive or threatening after being notified.

Who to contact: your clinician, clinic or test provider first (keep their number to hand). For urgent advice when you can't reach them, call NHS 111. In an emergency, call 999.

General guidance — it doesn't replace the specific advice your specialist gives you.

Results & realistic expectations

A good outcome is that partners who may have been exposed are reached, tested and treated if needed, breaking the chain of infection and protecting your own health from reinfection. Success is measured by partners coming forward, not by a test on you.

Notification cannot guarantee every partner will respond, and you cannot control how someone reacts. What it can do is give partners accurate information and the chance to protect their health, while keeping your identity confidential if you choose.

Partner notification relates to a specific diagnosis and the partners around that time. It is not a one-off fix for the future: if you have new partners later, or a future infection, the conversation may be needed again. Regular screening and safer-sex measures reduce how often this arises.

Related tests, treatments or support

Partner notification goes hand in hand with your own diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, and with advice on future screening, contraception, HIV prevention such as PrEP, and hepatitis A and B vaccination where relevant. People diagnosed with one infection are usually tested for others at the same time.

Follow-up & long-term care

The service may check whether partners have come forward and offer further help if some have not been reached. You will be supported to complete your own treatment and any retest, and can return at any time if a new contact comes to mind or you need more help.

• Tell the clinic if you remember another partner who should be contacted.
• Keep up regular screening, especially with new partners.
• Use condoms to reduce future infections and repeat notifications.
• Return for any retest advised after treatment.
• Use the service again without hesitation if a future need arises.

Repeat, follow-on and what comes next

• You can return to add a partner you had not remembered.
• If a partner is not reached, the clinic can try a different method or step in on your behalf.
• The approach for each partner can be changed if circumstances change.
• A new infection in future may mean repeating the process.

Ask what happens if the result is unclear or needs repeating, and what is included if further tests or follow-up are needed.

What good aftercare looks like

• A confidential, non-judgemental conversation that puts you in control of the method.
• Anonymous notification options, including for online contacts.
• A safety check and signposting if a partner could pose a risk to you.
• Follow-up on whether partners have been reached, and support for your own treatment and retesting.

What affects the cost

Costs vary a great deal between people and providers, and we don't publish prices. What matters is understanding what drives the cost and making sure your quote is complete. The main things that affect it:

• Whether it is included as part of your diagnosis and treatment, as in NHS services.
• Whether a private clinic charges separately for follow-up or support time.
• The number of partners and the complexity of reaching them.
• Whether anonymous online notification tools are provided.
• Whether additional counselling or safety support is needed.

• Whether partner notification support is included with your treatment.
• What methods are offered, including anonymous notification.
• Whether staff will contact partners on your behalf.
• What support exists if you have safety concerns.
• Whether follow-up to check partners have responded is included.
• How your confidentiality is protected throughout.

On the NHS? Partner notification is a standard, free and confidential part of NHS sexual health care; private clinics should offer or arrange the same support when they diagnose an infection.

You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including reports, follow-up and what happens if the result is inconclusive — before you decide.

Consent traps and marketing red flags

These are not small details. They are often where patients lose choice, time to reflect, or realistic expectations.

Choosing a specialist safely

• Check the specialist is on the GMC Specialist Register for this area.
• Make sure they work at a CQC-registered service, and look for membership of the relevant Royal College or professional body.
• You're entitled to time to consider and to have your questions answered before you agree — the specialist who looks after you should explain it, not a salesperson.
• Be wary of pressure: time-limited offers or deposits taken before you've had time to think are red flags, not bargains.
• You're entitled to your total cost in writing — including any follow-up — before you decide.

How Vuemedics verifies every consultant →

Take this to your consultation. A good specialist will welcome every one of these.

• Which partners should I consider, and how far back should I go for this infection?
• Can you contact my partners for me without naming me?
• What anonymous options are there for partners I only know online?
• What support is there if I find these conversations hard?
• What should I do if I am worried about my safety with a partner?
• When will it be safe for me to have sex again?
• Are you on the GMC Specialist Register for this area, and which Royal College or professional body are you a member of?
• Will you be the specialist who carries out my appointment, and who looks after me afterwards?
• What are the risks for someone like me, and how often do your own patients have a problem or need it repeated or redone?
• What does a realistic result look like — and what can this appointment not achieve?
• What are my options, including waiting, doing nothing for now, or choosing a different approach?
• Can I have written information, results and aftercare instructions in a format I can use, including any accessibility or communication support I need?
• What is the total cost in writing, including any follow-ups, and how much time do I have to decide?

Find a verified specialist for partner notification support

Every consultant is GMC-checked and independently reviewed. Search by postcode and distance, or switch to a map. Ordered by rating, relevance and recency — never by who pays.

How we made this page

Medically reviewed by a GMC-registered consultant. Written in plain English, checked against NHS, NICE, GMC and relevant Royal College / specialist-society guidance, and kept under review. No clinic paid to appear on this page, and we publish no pricing. This is general information to help you prepare — it is not a substitute for advice from your own clinician. How we review our guides →

Source hierarchy: UK regulator and NHS/NICE guidance first, then relevant Royal College or specialist-society guidance, then peer-reviewed evidence for procedure-specific figures where available.

Sources & standards: NHS — Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) BASHH — 2012 statement on partner notification for STIs BASHH — UK guideline for consultations requiring sexual history taking (2019) NICE — Reducing STIs (NG221) Partner notification — review (PMC)

Reviews reflect patients' experience of care, not clinical outcomes. For procedure volumes and outcome data see PHIN.

Last medically reviewed 2026-09-21. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Report an error in this guide.