Reproductive and Sexual Health (BRaSH) Clinic

On arrival, you will need to register at the clinic reception. The doctor or nurse you see will ask you some questions about your health and with your permission, and if required, may perform a physical examination. STI testing usually includes the following:

• Swabs (which may be self collected)
• Urine
• A blood test

For patients with Medicare, the BRaSH clinical service and most laboratory tests and treatments are provided free of charge. In some cases, you may need a prescription or a referral for follow up elsewhere. For Medicare ineligible patients BRaSH does not charge for the clinical service, however laboratory tests and some treatments may incur charges.

All information you provide is confidential and you have the right to refuse any aspects of the care offered.

• Check my symptoms: Stay STI Free
• Sexual Health Fact Sheets (Melbourne Sexual Health Centre; MSHC)
• Let Them Know (partner notification)
• Post-exposure HIV prophylaxis: Get PEP
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis
  • PAN (PrEPaccessNOW) – Get PrEP
  • Victorian PrEP Service (Alfred Health)
• LGBTIQ+ Health: Health Services for LGBTIQ+ Communities and PLHIV (Thorne Harbour Health)
• Victorian HIV Service (Alfred Health)
• HIV Self-Testing Australia 

• Contraception, Pregnancy and Sexual Health: 1800 my options
• Jean Hales Guide to Womens Health 
• Sexual Health Victoria

Gynaecology and Pregnancy Choices

• Women’s Health Clinics, including the Choices clinic (University Hospital Geelong)

Melbourne Sexual Health partner GP clinics (About MSHC partner GP clinics)

• Anglesea Medical
• Kardinia Health, Belmont

For urgent care, if you are unable to access a GP or Sexual Health Centre

If you have symptoms you can check how urgently you require care at – https://www.staystifree.org.au/how-urgent-are-my-symptoms/

If you require urgent care, and are unable to access a GP or Sexual Health Centre, the following urgent care services are available in the region

Urgent Care Centres

• • Barwon Health North 
  • Lorne and Apollo Bay
  • Colac Area Health

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics https://www.health.vic.gov.au/priority-primary-care-centres:

• • Geelong Medicare Urgent Care Clinic
  • Warrnambool Medicare Urgent Care Clinic

Youth support

Headspace

Pelvic pain

Kardinia Health: Pelvic Pain & Endometriosis Clinic

Click here to visit the Mpox vaccinations page.

State-referral criteria may apply for conditions under this specialty requiring further assessment and management. Referring clinicians are encouraged to utilise Western Victoria Community HealthPathways for referral guidelines and requirements for all conditions.

For urgent referral advice, please contact the Infectious Disease on-call registrar via Barwon Health switchboard on 03 4215 0000.

Complete the specialist clinics referral template and send via:

• ReferralNet
• Fax: 03 4215 1366

Referral templates for Barwon Health services are available for importing into Best Practice, Medical Director or ZedMed. Please see the Referral templates page for the most up-to-date forms.

If you do not use the above clinical software, please complete a referral letter on your practice/health service letterhead, ensuring all required referral information is included.

If you need to contact us regarding the templates, please contact the GP Liaison Unit on 03 4215 8845 or [email protected].

• Australian STI Guidelines
• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• ASHM resources (HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexual and reproductive health)
• Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
• Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
• HIV Management Guidelines
• Australasian Contact Tracing Guidelines

Some sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV, are notifiable by clinicians to the Victorian Department of Health.

Please visit the Department’s Notifiable Conditions webpage for more information about which conditions are notifiable and how to complete a notification.

Patients with an STI can be directed to the Let Them Know website for guidance around informing their sexual partners, including via anonymous SMS.

Support with partner notification is available for complex cases, and can be requested as part of completing a notification to the Department of Health.

For any questions about public health management of notifiable conditions, clinicians are welcome to contact the Barwon South West Public Health Unit on 03 4215 4000.

For patients who require reassessment, a new referral should be sent through. To facilitate earlier access, the new referral must contain the following information:

• State the referral is an update for a current patient
• Date of original referral
• Reason for requesting a review of referral (e.g. deterioration in clinical condition, pathology)

The referrer will be notified of the outcome of the re-triage process.

GPs or referring doctors wishing to discuss the triage of their patient’s referral, or who require additional information, please contact the BRaSH clinic directly on clinic days, or the Infectious Disease on-call registrar through the Barwon Health switchboard on 03 4215 0000.