Yes, I've had the hep B shots. I told my clinic about my job, it just means that they ask me slightly different questions, and occasionally I chat with the nurses about political developments and stuff.

http://www.praedstreetproject.org.uk - That's the only clinic I know that's specifically for sex workers.

Hi there!

I use my local clinic, even though it is a small town (and not especially private in terms of waiting area etc); on my records I am officially a 'commercial sex worker', which makes me feel a bit grand! I never saw the point of not telling them as they are there to help me protect myself and my clients - I have had my Hep shots etc and am now quite friendly with the nurses and the nice lady doctors alike! They also give me very good advice and keep me up to date on the levels of certain diseases they are seeing more or less often - apparently good old syphilis is on the rise amongst the youngsters, which is a pretty sobering thought!

I cannot imagine them being judgemental; they will more than likely appreciate your honesty and be glad that you are conducting your business in a sensible and responsible way - I'm told that they think it's ridiculous having to put me in the highest risk category for infection purely because of my work when I have never shown any symptoms of anything whenever I've been for my checks!

You don't have to tell them your name but I would try and remember which one you give them - I use my real one because I'm not that bothered but then I am relatively open about what I do (thanks in part to the kind soul who handed printouts from my website round my local one Friday evening - but that's another story lol). I think the main thing is keep yourself and your clients safe, which ever way you decide to do it!

I told my clinic about my job, it just means that they ask me slightly different questions, and occasionally I chat with the nurses about political developments and stuff.

http://www.praedstreetproject.org.uk - That's the only clinic I know that's specifically for sex workers.

Yes, in a good clinic you tend to be treated better (for one thing you're more interesting than the average 'worried well' or the 'I seem to have caught x yet again' clients!)

If you do rimming or scat, you'll also want the Hep A vaccination, and some places can get appallingly sex(uality)ist about that one if they don't know you're working.

The male equivalent of Praed Street is the Working Men Project, but this has changed its services somewhat over the past year or so. Another service from the founder of WMP is in development.

The West London Centre for Sexual Health (i.e. Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith) has code word based clinics for female, male and trans escorts and porn 'talent' (e.g. if you're a male or trans escort, you ask the Health Advisers about the Diamond Clinic and you get fast tracked).

There's also a hospital north of the Thames in West London which has a similar system, but I don't remember which or the magic words.

I know another couple of hospitals in East London and North East London also have specialist services, and one in South East London certainly used to but a change in the services the PCT funded about two years ago may have altered that.

Outside London, some places have specialist services, most don't. Some services that do exist can be rather more based on 'helping' you 'exit' than on harm reduction.