SAAFE forum
General Category => Sex Work Projects => Topic started by: PraedstreetprojectNHS on 02 October 2014, 12:40:05 pm
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Have you heard of The Praed Street Project in Paddington? We offer a free and confidential service for female and trans sex workers. We offer daily clinic appointments and information/ support for all women associated with the sex industry. We are a small and friendly team designed to support you as an individual with your sexual health and any other issues that may concern you.
Daily Clinic by appointment
? Full testing for sexually transmitted infections
? Vaccinations against Hepatitis A and B
? HIV testing
? Cervical smears
? Free condoms and contraception
? including the pill, injection and implant
? Emergency contraception
? Advice on sexual health at
? work and home including information
? about infections and how to prevent them
? Professional hospital interpreters where
? necessary
? Information on how to register with a
? friendly GP.
? Free certificates for Adult performers
Making an appointment: 020 3312 1549 / 020 3312 1828
Monday to Friday
Clinic every weekday, please ring
to arrange in advance
Thursdays: ring at 10 am on the day for afternoon slots
?Drop in? / Information/Support /cup of tea etc. A friendly face to talk to
Tuesday/ Wednesday/ Thursday 2-4.30
We run a friendly and discreet project in an
Informal and comfortable setting. Here you
can pick up your free condoms and have an
opportunity to discuss anything you are
concerned about including:
? Sex work and the sex industry
? Safety
? Report Ugly mugs
? Difficult situations at work
? Sexual health and general health
? Coping with stress and burn out
? Free condoms/Condom use
? Negotiating
? Budgeting
? Important news and information
? about the sex industry
? How work is affecting you
? Legal issues
? How to use the internet
? Alternative careers/ further education
? Exiting sex work and help with writing CV?S/ college/ finding work
Please ring for directions
020 3312 1549 / 020 3312 1828
Outreach
We visit working flats/ saunas every week to bring you condoms and on the spot sexual health testing at your convenience, Also safety advice. We cover Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham areas.
? Quick and convenient STI testing at your flat!!
Give us a ring to arrange a visit. We promise to be discreet in relation to your work and bookings.
Give us a ring for a chat and look forward to hearing from you.
All the best from Jane, Laura, Leonie, Tracey and Kylie
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I will be seeing you at the end of the year! Thank you for posting the info.
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I like you :D :D :D
Quick professional service, no weird questions or anything, and very supportive.
:D :D
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Wow wish there was something like this in Newcastle!
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Just a note to say I had my first visit today, and was incredibly impressed - great service!
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Just a note to say I had my first visit today, and was incredibly impressed - great service!
I hope to pop in before Xmas they are fantastic @praed street project
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I've been visiting the Praed Street Project for years and the ladies are so lovely not to mention all the great advice and support I get from them.
I actually look forward to going there now as it's a nice place to offload too (and boy don't we need it at times!).
Jenny x
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When are the informal meetings? Group or one to one?
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I might have to come in soon n check it out. I hate all the questions asked in regular clinics.
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I might have to come in soon n check it out. I hate all the questions asked in regular clinics.
HC, if anything you'll get asked MORE questions at Praed St, but they're lovely, totally non-judgemental, and have heard it all before. Plus after your first visit the process speeds up. Just remember the questions they're asking are for our own good.
I also like the anonymous coding system: at my old clinic, they would call out your full name for the whole waiting room to hear!
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I've been visiting the Praed Street Project for years and the ladies are so lovely not to mention all the great advice and support I get from them.
I actually look forward to going there now as it's a nice place to offload too (and boy don't we need it at times!).
Jenny x
yes they are brilliant I shall be going this week
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Does anyone have any experience with them? Or know how easy it is to make an appointment? I used to go to Sunnybank in Leeds which was such a palava to get a hold of as you had to ring up early in the morning and no sooner than 48hr in advance of when you wanted an appointment, then once you got there you had to allow a couple of hours for your appointment because of how long it took to be seen.
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I've merged your post in with Praed Street's thread, since other posters have answered some of your question. A lot of people use the project and it is busy, but it's very well regarded with lovely staff.
I'm sure somebody will pop along with some detailed info, but do contact them directly too :).
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There are two clinics in Praed Street. There's the one where the general public go and there's another department specifically for sex workers which is where I go as they have all my history on file (eg. all vaccinations, previous check ups and results etc).
You can phone up and make an appointment in advance and your waiting time at that appointment is rarely more then 15 minutes or there's one specific day you can phone up and make a same day appointment but that's first come first served and you need to phone asap around 10 am.
For any emergencies you may be able to be seen the same day if they have appointments available but if not then you are advised usually to go to the general public one where of course there will be a waiting time as it's first come first served and obviously dependent on how early you arrive and how many people are waiting already.
I've been visiting them for years and can only praise them. There is a clinic and also what they call a drop in where you can go for a chat/advise or just to offload and the staff are absolutely lovely and of course non judgmental in any way.
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Should be a place like this in staffordshire
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Can someone who have been here before please tell me how I actually get into the sex worker bit of the clinic and not the general public one? I had booked an appointment here previously and chickened out and just left as I wasn't sure where to go and didn't want to go to the general public one in case I embarrass myself. Tried calling them for help but no one picked. please help x
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Hi Jessica,
Physically, the general public clinic and the Praed Street Project are one and the same, as are the staff. The difference is the level of service you get and some of the nurses specialise in seeing sex workers.
So, phone the PSP and make an appointment.
Go to the clinic reception desk, fill in your details (it doesn't have to be your real name), and you'll be given a temporary clinic ID. You just need to supply a DOB, postcode and mobile number for your results, so if you make anything up, make sure you remember what it was!
You'll then get a card with your proper clinic ID, so you can use that for making further appointments.
You can also 'drop in' like anyone else during opening hours.
If you have anything non-clinical, you can also visit the actual PSP staff (I've never done this, but assume they're nearby). One of the receptionists can be a little moody but all the clinical staff are great. If you have any questions, you can also PM them on here.
Jenny 2 - I've just noticed our messages contradict each other. Is the separate department you talk about the PSP office or something, or part of the clinic?
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Hi Kay
I'm also confused about which department you are talking about!
In my post when I said separate department I meant the drop in centre which is literallly two mins walk from the actual clinic itself. The drop in is open at certain times only and the staff there are delightful - very caring and supportive and if you just want a chat, they are there to listen. They also provide free condoms, lube etc.
From all the years I've been going to the clinic, I've only ever gone upstairs where (as far as I know) is specifically located for sex workers whereas downstairs is where the general public go (and you sit waiting hours on end)
The Project have posted on this thread giving all details so it's all for us to see there.
I'm not sure which receptionist you mean is moody! I think you may be referring to the one who is downstairs dealing with all, not sex workers section?
Jenny x
Sorry made mistake just edited my post as this reply was to Kay not Jessica!
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Yes, I always go to the upstairs clinic. I'm not sure what's downstairs! I don't think upstairs is just for sex workers though.
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Downstairs are non SW & upstairs are people like us! :-*
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Clarification received about the clinic layout during my routine screen today... There's recently been a reorganisation: there's no differentiation between hoi polloi and sex workers in the actual clinics. Downstairs is if you have symptoms, upstairs is if you have no symptoms.
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Free condoms? Could have used that a couple of weeks ago. :)
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Condoms and lube are available free of charge at any sex work project or GUM clinic here - this one isn't anything out of the ordinary. There isn't even any requirement to have made National Insurance contributions like the rest of us :).
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Just went here today for the first time for a full screen and to go to the drop in. Everyone here is SO lovely, staff helpful and friendly. And the two ladies who run the drop in are great. Went home feeling supported (and with a big bag of rubbers, lube and gloves!). :)
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I've been going to my regular clinic which only allows 12 condoms a month :FF could someone tell me is it the same here? And how much do they give?
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I've been going to my regular clinic which only allows 12 condoms a month :FF could someone tell me is it the same here? And how much do they give?
I never accept them, but I'm sure they'd give you quite a few. The best thing to do is buy them online from the NHS Freedoms shop - a box of 144 is about 15 quid.
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Right, I've already moved one general condom-buying post to another thread (which I can't easily post a link to as I'm on my phone); can we please remember that this one is specifically for the Praed Street project?
Info about their service, condoms included, is great. General stuff needs to be elsewhere :).
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Hello!
Lovely to see so many lovely comments about the project and that more ladies are finding out about us! I've seen that there are a few questions/confusion about our service, so thought I would do a quick message to a reply to a few of them, but please call us on: 0203 312 1549 to find out about anything you need to know about the project/ to get an appointment with us.
We have daily clinics with our friendly, specialist nurses at The Jefferiss Wing, St Mary's Hospital Monday-Friday. Please call us to book an appointment in, we have different morning, afternoon and early evening appointments to choose from. We do hold our clinic upstairs in the Jefferiss Wing as a few of you have been discussing. A lot of different appointments are booked for upstairs and anybody without symptoms can also be seen upstairs so it will still remain discreet if you are a sex worker, upstairs is not only for sex workers! Hope this clears up some of the confusion about being seen on different floors!
We also hold a 'Drop In' service which is held in an informal setting for ladies and men working in the sex industry on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons 2-4.30pm. You can just drop in as you please, no appointment required. It is a discreet and confidential group where you can pick up a much larger supply of a large range of condoms and other supplies such as lubricant, gloves and dams for work. In this space you will have the opportunity to discuss anything you are concerned about such as:
Sex work and the sex industry
Safety
Difficult situations at work
Sexual health and general health
Coping with stress and burn out
Condom use
Negotiating
Budgeting
Important news and information about the sex industry
How work is affecting you
Legal issues
Alteranative careers/further education
Exiting Sex
or to just have a chat in a confidential, safe place where you won't be judged and can feel free to be open about your work.
We also offer outreach to ladies/men working in the sex industry to your place of work in Central London/ Westminster/ Kensington and Chelsea area every Friday afternoon where we can visit you and bring you free condoms and supplies, Ugly Mugs/safety advice on your flat and offer you sexual health tests if you would would like them.
Please feel free to call our small, friendly team on; 0203 312 1549 with any questions/ concerns. It will always be one of us that answers the phone and if we are not there if we are busy seeing lovely ladies like yourselves, then please leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
From The Praed St Project Team
Jane, Laura, Tracey and Nora
xxxx
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I went there there two days ago (as a walk in) due to a bad case of thrush (candida). I did not say I was a sex worker. The doctor ordered me to get all sort of STD's tests (just in case) and a urine exam to make sure I was not diabetic (people who get to much thrush tend to be diabetic). They ended giving me candida medication for free. The whole thing took 3 hours of my time. The service was awesome and the people were super nice and very professional.
I'm soooo glad to have this service available. :)
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They have been a god send for me over the years..had been working for a few years before I found out about them via a client :-*
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I can't understand should I go on the second floor as I am visiting always the first floor but they don't know what I am doing. If its the first floor should i tell the reception that I am an escort or I just have to tell the doctors the true? I got bit confused?
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I can't understand should I go on the second floor as I am visiting always the first floor but they don't know what I am doing. If its the first floor should i tell the reception that I am an escort or I just have to tell the doctors the true? I got bit confused?
The way they work is if you have symptoms it's ground floor; if no symptoms first floor.
You don't need to tell them you're a sex worker, but I would. You see a special nurse and get all the tests, lots of questions etc. Remember you don't need to use your real name - they just need a name, phone number and DOB.
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There's been some changes in how to make an appointment here, and the 0203 312 1549 number is no longer valid.
You are redirected to call 0203 312 6626, which seems to be a general number. You're given five options, none of which is the Praed Street Project. I went for option 4, but can't remember now if that was the Winslow or Wharfside clinic! One is for people with follow-up appointments, I think; anyway, you can press * to go back to the main menu, and with option 4 I think I just got through to the main reception desk to make an appointment.
If anyone from PSP reads this - could you confirm that we can no longer book screening appointments through you??
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Went for a screen today, and got a leaflet about the changes at St Mary's - though TBH I found some of it unclear as to what's happening. If you used the PSP support services it might be worth having a look online. But...
To book a screen you can do it via a new number for the PSP or Working Men Project: 020 3312 6629
Or you can walk in or book online via the imperial.nhs.uk website
The Mint Wing Cottage drop in support service has gone
No more outreach support from PSP or WMP
Drop in, outreach and support services now being run by Turning Point charity
Jane or Laura from PSP can be contacted to explain about changes on 020 7851 2955 or 07760 615761
Separately, there's a new West London sexual health service from a group including Turning Point: http://www.turning-point.co.uk/news-and-events/news/new-sexual-health-service,-with-a-greater-focus-on-educational-and-employment-support,-launches-in-west-london.aspx (http://www.turning-point.co.uk/news-and-events/news/new-sexual-health-service,-with-a-greater-focus-on-educational-and-employment-support,-launches-in-west-london.aspx)
http://wellbeing.turning-point.co.uk/sexualhealth/ (http://wellbeing.turning-point.co.uk/sexualhealth/)
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I went here when i was living in London. Great service, quick and no questions asked. Wish you would open a service in LA!
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Hi Everyone,
Really sorry for the delay in confirming the changes for Praed Street project. Sadly the drop in support, supplies and Outreach services have been moved and we are now based at 31 Wardour St, SOHO W1D 6PS. We are now under a new name SASH LONDON. You can reach us( Jane and Laura) on 02078512955/07760615761/0748333540. We would love to hear from you and we have a drop in here every Thursday 2-4.
For clinic appointments at the Jefferiss wing phone 02033126629/6626 or visit the hospital website www.imperial.nhs.uk/our-services/sexual-health-and-hiv
We have really valued working with you all for many years and hope we can continue from our new premises, thank you for all your contribution and support. :) :) :)
Warm wishes to everyone and hopefully see you soon
Jane and Laura
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Stupidly I went to the hospital before I read the updates. I went a few days ago, and the quality of the service has decreased considerably so i decided i will not go there again.
I should have listened to my instinct but i didnt. I tried the numbers given here to make an appointment but the phones are never picked up. Warning sign i ignored. Then i went online to book a slot, none was available for the whole of july. Thought strange, i tried to call again. Another warning sign i ignored. Anyways i went for a walk in.
I arrived 11:05am, had to get a ticket and wait, i wanted a full check as i had some itching which counts as symptom. This is different from the check&go as that one is for no symptoms. So i sat and was waiting to be called to the reception. I was called at 11:32! I got checked in and i was told to go to tha waiting room where my clinic number will be called. Okay. I was called at 13:47!! By this time i ate all the chocolates from the hidden places of my bag. As i gave my working details to the hospital and have used it for years, i even forgot some details i gave. The nurse who was trying to take my blood started questioning and i said you know, I am a working girl and some details i forgot what i gave but if thats my clinic number and my working name matches then thats me. She almost got shocked that i am not a normal woman, sha didnt say anything but her expression said it all. Then while she tried to find my vein she started questioning whether the job is good, if its lucrative.. i felt uncomfortable as even though the questions are no offensive she clearly didnot know anything about it and i felt unnormal, which i never experienced at this clinic before.
Then i met Sonia, another nurse who recognized me and said oh I know you, you used to see Nora before! I said yes. She was superb and no questions asked, aprt from how i was and she was genuinely caring. She said the service sadly has gone. Anyways, i got my result by 14:17, at which point i thought i could have done so much else with my time, i could nt believe they wasted i had to spend more then 3hrs for a simple check up.
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It is a big shame. I'm going to give them one more go, but then may try Dean St. My last visit was OK but for some reason she took two throat swabs, which was a bit of a nightmare for me.
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Stupidly I went to the hospital before I read the updates. I went a few days ago, and the quality of the service has decreased considerably so i decided i will not go there again.
I should have listened to my instinct but i didnt. I tried the numbers given here to make an appointment but the phones are never picked up. Warning sign i ignored. Then i went online to book a slot, none was available for the whole of july. Thought strange, i tried to call again. Another warning sign i ignored. Anyways i went for a walk in.
I arrived 11:05am, had to get a ticket and wait, i wanted a full check as i had some itching which counts as symptom. This is different from the check&go as that one is for no symptoms. So i sat and was waiting to be called to the reception. I was called at 11:32! I got checked in and i was told to go to tha waiting room where my clinic number will be called. Okay. I was called at 13:47!! By this time i ate all the chocolates from the hidden places of my bag. As i gave my working details to the hospital and have used it for years, i even forgot some details i gave. The nurse who was trying to take my blood started questioning and i said you know, I am a working girl and some details i forgot what i gave but if thats my clinic number and my working name matches then thats me. She almost got shocked that i am not a normal woman, sha didnt say anything but her expression said it all. Then while she tried to find my vein she started questioning whether the job is good, if its lucrative.. i felt uncomfortable as even though the questions are no offensive she clearly didnot know anything about it and i felt unnormal, which i never experienced at this clinic before.
Then i met Sonia, another nurse who recognized me and said oh I know you, you used to see Nora before! I said yes. She was superb and no questions asked, aprt from how i was and she was genuinely caring. She said the service sadly has gone. Anyways, i got my result by 14:17, at which point i thought i could have done so much else with my time, i could nt believe they wasted i had to spend more then 3hrs for a simple check up.
So sorry about your experience. I worry about this too, as I've had bad experiences in the past when I used the clinic for non-sex workers there. I'm trying to get an appointment with Nora, as I've had some symptoms. I sometimes get flashbacks during medical examinations so don't want to risk seeing a random. Can't get through at the moment though.
I know Dean Street is a self check up place, but does anyone know of a clinic in central London where you can get an std check done by doctors who understand sex workers?
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I know Dean Street is a self check up place, but does anyone know of a clinic in central London where you can get an std check done by doctors who understand sex workers?
Dean Street Express (at 32 Dean Street) is self testing, but 56 Dean Street is still the main proper clinic with staff and that's where anybody with symptoms ought to be headed :).
Unfortunately SWISH have also been defunded so the Wednesday evening sex worker clinic isn't likely to be still running, but it's still a perfectly good place to get checked over. I do wish somebody from THT or the Praed St replacement place would post some up to date information - if I knew more I'd pass it on but that's it for now :-\.
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When I last went to St Mary's, a couple of weeks ago, the nurse said the Praed St Project had ended because it was a research project, and whoever was running it had stopped purchasing St Mary's services. I did wonder if that meant a similar scheme was now running elsewhere, but not that I'm aware of.
She also said that soon, all prescriptions for non-STI related conditions, like BV or thrush, would have to be paid for as part of cost cuts, as they're not relevant to public health (treatments for STIs will still be free).
The screening/testing should still be the same at St Mary's but it's lost that 'special touch'.
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Dean Street Express (at 32 Dean Street) is self testing, but 56 Dean Street is still the main proper clinic with staff and that's where anybody with symptoms ought to be headed :).
Unfortunately SWISH have also been defunded so the Wednesday evening sex worker clinic isn't likely to be still running, but it's still a perfectly good place to get checked over. I do wish somebody from THT or the Praed St replacement place would post some up to date information - if I knew more I'd pass it on but that's it for now :-\.
Oh that's good to know. I'll check out 56 Dean Street then. Thanks for the info :)
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Hi everyone,
Just to say, I stopped by the new place at 31 Wardour Street on Thursday last week for their drop in. It was so lovely to see Jane and Laura again! I?ve missed them. They gave me some great advice about an ongoing work issue I?ve got and also phoned and emailed the people at St Mary?s so I could see someone I knew. So now I have an appointment with Agnes next week (phew!). Maybe this is the route to go, if people still want to go to St Mary?s, but want to see someone who understands sex workers.
The drop in is the same idea as before: nice and relaxed, catching up, tea and a chat or anything you want to discuss with them and get advice and support about, plus free condoms, lube and gloves.
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I wasn't sure whether to start a new thread on this, but I went to the Jefferiss Wing at St Mary's again today. In my first screen after the demise of PSP, in the summer, the nurse had all my paper notes with her, knew I was a sex worker, asked me the long list of questions etc.
They have changed the way the clinic works yet again. If you have symptoms you can make an appointment or walk in to the ground floor clinic. But if you have no symptoms, you cannot get a drop-in appointment any more - you have to book online. Slots open at 12pm on Friday. You only give your name and phone number - not your clinic number if you're a returnee.
I thought this was a little odd, and sure enough, today the nurse had none of my paper notes and didn't know I was a sex worker - just pulled up a few rudimentary details online. He did ask about domestic violence and offered my condoms, but that was about it.
On the plus side, booking an appointment was easy (although I wasn't seen for ~45 minutes) and the actual testing is the same, but I feel the service as a sex worker has gone downhill. I may look elsewhere, as as it is now, I might as well just go to my local GUM and not admit to being a sex worker.
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Hi everyone,
Just to say, I stopped by the new place at 31 Wardour Street on Thursday last week for their drop in. It was so lovely to see Jane and Laura again! I?ve missed them. They gave me some great advice about an ongoing work issue I?ve got and also phoned and emailed the people at St Mary?s so I could see someone I knew. So now I have an appointment with Agnes next week (phew!). Maybe this is the route to go, if people still want to go to St Mary?s, but want to see someone who understands sex workers.
The drop in is the same idea as before: nice and relaxed, catching up, tea and a chat or anything you want to discuss with them and get advice and support about, plus free condoms, lube and gloves.
Thankyou so much for the update Helena
In shall visit Feb this year , glad there is a new drop In to go as I missed visiting praed st project .
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I was sent the link via text to book appointment no symptoms there are no dates at all available so I think i best just turn up at Jeffers next week Tue when i gave time for testing instead .
It's been too long since I had bloods and tests done I've been so busy .
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Can you do a referal?
do you have an email address for correspondence?