Advice and Guidance

iCaSH Express Test is a free NHS service offering comprehensive 3 monthly screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to those who are 16 and over, have no symptoms of an STI and live in an eligible county. Simply enter your age and postcode to find out if your area is eligible for an Express Test. You will need a UK mobile number to register to use this service.

Symptoms of an STI could include discharge, pain while passing urine, genital lumps, genital sores or lower abdominal pain in women. If you have any of these symptoms, please contact your local iCaSH clinic on 0300 300 3030.

If you had unprotected sexual intercourse in the last 5 days and think you are at risk of pregnancy, please attend your local iCaSH clinic as soon as possible where we can offer you support. To book an appointment, please call 0300 300 3030.

If you believe you may be at risk of having come into contact with an STI but have no symptoms, it may be best to wait before you test, because certain STIs don’t show up in tests for several weeks after exposure. This is a ‘window period.’ The window periods for different STIs are below:

These window periods do not apply when you have developed symptoms, in which case you need to book an appointment with us via 0300 300 3030. Symptoms could include discharge, pain while passing urine, genital lumps, genital sores or lower abdominal pain in women.

You will only be tested for the tests you send back. If you try but are unable to collect a blood sample, don't worry as we will still test your swab or urine for chlamydia and gonorrhoea. For more advice on taking your samples, please see ‘How should I take my samples?’ below.

Your blood sample will be tested for syphilis. Depending on your response to our questions, the blood sample may also be tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Your swabs and/or urine sample will test you for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.

Your results will only refer to the samples you have completed and sent back.

Once you've taken your sample(s), please ensure you have completed the included form (but keep the top part - you may need it to collect your results).

Place your sample(s) and the form back in the box and seal the box shut making sure the tabs lock tightly.

We've already paid for the postage (it's freepost), so you can simply pop the kit in your nearest postbox as soon as you can. You will see directions to your nearest post box on the form. 

When you post your kit, it can take up to 5 days to get to our laboratory by Royal Mail. Once the laboratory has received your kit, it should take up to 3 to 4 days to receive your results. If you haven’t received your results after 10 days, please call the Express Test SH.UK support team on 0333 344 4462 or email  info@preventx.com.

If your test results indicate a potential infection you will be contacted by our team and informed of your results. We will arrange for you to come into a local clinic for your treatment.

Express testing for HIV uses a screening test. This is different from the full assessment test we use in clinic. Screening tests pick up anything that looks like it could be HIV, including other things that are not HIV. A reactive result to a screening test is not the same as a positive HIV test result. A reactive result means something that "looks like HIV" is present. If you get a reactive result then we would need to do a full assessment test in clinic to find out whether HIV is present or not. If you think you have not been exposed to HIV it is likely your test in clinic will come back negative but we still need to do the full assessment after a reactive result just to be sure.

If you submit personal information to us through this website, it will be in accordance with our privacy notice. Results will be provided online and you will be notified by text message. However, where we do not receive a response when required, for example a positive result, we may telephone, email or write to you using the details associated with your Express Test account.

You can change your postal address by logging in to your Express Test SH.UK account.

If you have changed your mobile number, then you will need to contact the Express Test SH.UK support team on 0333 344 4462 or info@preventx.com. We will then be able to verify your details and reset your account with your new mobile number.

On the account login page, click the ‘forgotten password’ link and we will send a verification code via text message to the mobile number you registered the account with. This will enable you to reset your password. We will also require you to input your date of birth.

You will need a UK mobile number that is your own in order to register. For confidentiality and security reasons, you cannot use someone else’s mobile number or email address.

If you have registered on the new service and are having trouble signing in then you may wish to try using an alternative browser or try a different device (e.g. your mobile phone, laptop or tablet). Sometimes deleting your search history or cookies can help. If you still have problems, please call the Express Test SH.UK support team on 0333 344 4462 or info@preventx.com.

As with all text messages arrival of the text is dependent on signal in your local area. Please try signing up again when you have better signal.

If you live in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk or Suffolk, you will notice some differences when you order an Express Test. We have been using a new testing portal from 1st November 2021 so you will no longer be able to use your previous Express Test login details. 

This means you will need to re-register using the new service (simply click the link and choose your location) as we won’t have your details on the new system.

The new portal has features to help you manage your sexual health testing. You will have:

• Access to your own patient portal to see your results and test history
• Improved access to information, advice and support through our colleagues at the Express Test SH.UK support team

If you have any problems, please call the Express Test SH.UK support team on 0333 344 4462 or email info@preventx.com. 

Our funding comes from the national public health budget. Public health funding across England has been subject to significant pressures. We allocate the funding we receive across the clinic-based and online services we provide, to ensure as many people as possible can access the service they need.

We have an extremely high demand for our test kits and are only able to send out a set number of kits each day. If you try to order a kit and we have already reached the maximum number of kits we can issue, you will be notified of this. If you do not have any symptoms, please try to order a test kit again tomorrow.