Sexual health services

There is a range of free, bulk-billed and/or low-cost sexual health services in SA. Any General Practitioner should be able to provide you with information and care relating to your sexual health; however, some people may feel more comfortable seeking sexual healthcare from specialist providers. 

Some of these include:

Adelaide Sexual Health Centre offers free and confidential testing, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), whether you have a Medicare card or not. 

Services are available by appointment or attending a walk-in clinic:

  • Adelaide Sexual Health Centre, 260 Currie Street, Adelaide

SHINE SA provides a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health services, including STI and blood-borne virus testing, contraception and counselling services. 

Bulk-billing is available to Medicare cardholders for GP and sexual and reproductive health appointments. However, fees may still apply for specialist and counselling appointments, and for medications. 

Clinical services are available by appointment or attending a walk-in clinic at one of SHINE SA’s three sites:

  • Hyde Street Practice, 57 Hyde Street, Adelaide
  • Woodville Practice, 64c Woodville Road, Woodville
  • Davoren Park Practice, 43 Paechey Road, Davoren Park

SHINE SA also provides a Sexual Healthline, where you can talk confidentially to a SHINE SA nurse about any sexual health issue.

SAMESH - SA Mobilisation and Empowerment for Sexual Health (a joint program of SHINE SA and Thorne Harbour Health (Victoria)) provides support, education and training about sexual health and HIV for men who have sex with men and people living with HIV, as well as services for the broader LGBTIQ community.

ASHM Health’s ‘Sexual Health Check’, is an accreditation system for online sexual health providers, providing Australians greater confidence accessing sexual healthcare online. 

To find an accredited online sexual health service provider, visit Sexual Health Check.

The Metropolitan Youth Health Service provides a free, confidential health service for young people aged 12 to 25 years.

Cedar Health Service provides holistic and inclusive domestic and family violence health care and support to people 16 years and over who have been subjected to abusive and unsafe behaviour from a partner or ex-partner.

Yarrow Place Rape and Sexual Assault Service is the lead South Australian public health agency responding to rape and sexual assault for people 16 years and over.

The SA HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Hotline is a 24 hour, 7 days a week phone service for members of the public who have or think they may have had a sexual or other non-workplace exposure to HIV.

For more information visit the following SA Health web pages:

PEP must be started within 72 hours of the HIV risk exposure. The sooner PEP is started, the more effective it is. Contact the South Australian HIV PEP hotline on 1800 022 226.

Rapid HIV Testing is available at some SHINE SA clinics. 

The service offers a free, less confronting HIV testing experience for men and trans and gender diverse people. The service is a trained peer-led model meaning the people doing the testing are not doctors or nurses. The test is a simple finger-prick test, and results are available in 20 minutes.

HIV self-tests are the same as rapid tests, but they are done by you in a location that is comfortable for you. It is a finger-prick test that takes about 20 minutes to give you a result. 

Self-tests can be purchased from some pharmacies or accessed for free from the following programs:

  • CONNECT: Promotes HIV testing and helps you to access free HIV self-testing kits via vending machines at selected sites across the Adelaide metro region. See the website for more information.
  • HIVTest.au: Is a free, accessible, and discreet online HIV self-testing kit delivery service that provides a one-year supply of HIV self-testing kits to people living in Australia aged over 18 years. See the website for more information.