What is an online sexual health clinic? An online sexual health clinic is a Specialist GP-led service that delivers sexual health care entirely by telehealth (phone or video) without requiring an in-person visit. You book online, your doctor calls you at the agreed time, and any pathology referrals or prescriptions arrive by SMS. Australian clinical practice is well-supported for telehealth sexual health care: RACGP, ASHM, and the Australian STI Management Guidelines explicitly endorse telehealth as a valid mode of care for STI testing, contraception management, PrEP, DoxyPEP, and most acute treatment scenarios. Conditions that genuinely need a physical examination (e.g. severe pelvic inflammatory disease, suspected epididymo-orchitis, lichen sclerosus diagnosis, IUD insertion/removal, cervical screening with abnormal findings) get referred to an appropriate in-person service.
Why use online sexual health care in Australia? Australian patients increasingly choose telehealth for sexual health for four reasons. (1) Geographic access — rural and remote Australians often don't have a sexual-health-trained GP within hours of driving; telehealth removes that barrier. (2) Privacy — the same regular GP who sees your family or knows your workplace contacts isn't involved; your medical record at Clinic365 is independent. (3) Speed — same-day or next-day appointments are usually available, vs weeks to see a specialised in-person clinic. (4) Cost transparency — one $59 consultation fee for the GP visit, then bulk-billed pathology with Medicare or direct-billed OSHC; no surprise gap fees.
What does an online sexual health clinic cover? A comprehensive online sexual health clinic in Australia should cover the full RACGP red-book sexual health curriculum: routine STI screening (the Clinic365 $39 STI test covers chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B); symptom-based testing and treatment for the full range of bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal infections; contraception (combined pill, progestogen-only pill, patch, ring, implant, IUD, depot injection, emergency contraception); pregnancy advice; PrEP for HIV prevention; DoxyPEP for bacterial STI prevention; emergency PEP after exposure; men's sexual health (ED, PE, libido concerns, fertility); women's sexual health (BV, thrush, UTI, vulvovaginal pain, lichen sclerosus, perimenopause/menopause). Clinic365 covers all of the above through a single Specialist GP consult.
Specialist GPs only. Every consultation at Clinic365 is conducted by a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) — the highest GP qualification recognised by AHPRA in Australia. Why this matters: sexual health spans complex multi-system care (immunology, infectious disease, gynaecology, andrology, mental health), and a Specialist GP has the breadth of training to recognise when a presentation needs a non-sexual-health workup (e.g. dysuria that's actually interstitial cystitis, or pelvic pain that's actually endometriosis). Our doctors hold AHPRA registration, are listed on the Register of Practitioners, and reference Australian guidelines (RACGP, ASHM, RANZCOG, Therapeutic Guidelines) rather than overseas protocols.
The Australian STI epidemiology. NNDSS (National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, Department of Health) recorded 101,742 chlamydia cases, 44,210 gonorrhoea cases, and 5,866 syphilis cases in 2024. Rates have risen across the past decade with infectious syphilis up sharply, gonorrhoea up roughly 60% over five years, and HIV diagnoses redistributing from MSM into heterosexual networks — particularly affecting young women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and recent arrivals. The AGSP (Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme) tracks antimicrobial resistance trends, which now drive treatment choice for gonorrhoea and Mgen. Routine annual screening is recommended for everyone under 30, and 3-monthly screening for anyone on PrEP, anyone with multiple recent partners, or after any new partner.
Free walk-in alternatives at state sexual health clinics. Every Australian capital city has a free, government-funded sexual health clinic that you can walk into without an appointment, without Medicare, and without OSHC: Sydney Sexual Health Clinic (NSW), Melbourne Sexual Health Centre at 580 Swanston St Carlton (VIC, world-class research/teaching centre operated by Alfred Health), Cairns Sexual Health Service (QLD, regional service), Brisbane Sexual Health (QLD, RBWH-affiliated), Adelaide Sexual Health (SA), Royal Perth Hospital Sexual Health (WA), Canberra Sexual Health (ACT), Hobart Sexual Health Service (TAS), and Clinic 34 in Darwin (NT). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients, ACCHS (Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services) provide culturally-safe sexual health care across Australia — the AH&MRC, VACCHO, and AHCSA networks list local services. We tell you about these services in every consultation; we're not the only option, and for some patients a free walk-in service is the right fit.
Pathology & pharmacy access. Your pathology referral works at any major Australian lab: Australian Clinical Labs (ACL, the largest network), Sonic Pathology (incorporating Douglass Hanly Moir, Capital Pathology, Sullivan Nicolaides), Laverty Pathology, Dorevitch Pathology, QML Pathology, and 4Cyte Pathology — together covering 5,000+ collection centres nationally including remote and regional locations. For OSHC and visa holders, ACL direct-bills BUPA, Allianz, AHM, Medibank Private, and NIB so most pathology is free up-front. eScripts work at every pharmacy in Australia (Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Terry White, Amcal, Blooms, Discount Drug Stores, independent pharmacies, and any local chemist). Concession PBS prices for most STI antibiotics around $7.70; full PBS around $10–$30 for most regimens.
Confidentiality. Your Clinic365 record is independent. We do not contact your regular GP unless you specifically ask us to, we do not share data with employers, schools, or insurers (private insurance, OSHC, life insurers all included), and your test results go directly to you by SMS. STI tests are processed by the pathology lab like any other blood test — lab staff don't know which specific tests are ordered. Notifiable infections (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B) are reported to the relevant state Department of Health under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act / Public Health Act, but this notification is anonymous from your perspective: it's used for surveillance and partner-notification follow-up, not to inform anyone in your social or professional network.
Partner notification & Let Them Know. If you test positive for a notifiable STI, partner notification is part of standard care — alerting recent sexual partners that they should get tested. The free anonymous Let Them Know service (endorsed by RACGP and ASHM) sends an SMS or email to your partners without identifying you. Look-back windows: 6 months for chlamydia, 2–3 months for gonorrhoea/Mgen/trichomoniasis, up to 12 months for syphilis depending on staging. Your Specialist GP advises which partners to notify and helps you decide between contact tracing approaches. For HIV, public health departments offer professional contact tracing as a free service.
When telehealth isn't enough. Some sexual health concerns genuinely require an in-person consult. Severe acute symptoms (high fever with pelvic or testicular pain, suspected pelvic inflammatory disease, suspected epididymo-orchitis, suspected disseminated gonococcal infection); diagnostic dermatology of vulvovaginal lichen sclerosus, lichen planus, vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia; IUD insertion or removal; abnormal cervical screening follow-up; speculum-based examination for unusual discharge or pain; complex psychosexual issues benefiting from a longer face-to-face appointment. We refer to your nearest in-person service, which may be our East Melbourne clinic, the state public sexual health clinic, MSHC (Melbourne), Sydney Sexual Health Clinic, or your local GP — whichever is geographically and clinically appropriate.
Pregnancy. RANZCOG and the Australian STI Management Guidelines recommend antenatal STI screening at the first antenatal visit and again in the third trimester for high-risk women. Universal antenatal syphilis screening (early pregnancy and at 28 weeks) is now standard given rising congenital syphilis rates. For BV, trichomoniasis, herpes (week-36 suppression in known carriers), and chlamydia, we use pregnancy-safe regimens and coordinate with your obstetric team. Major obstetric services across Australia (Royal Hospital for Women Sydney, Royal Women's Hospital Parkville, Mater Mothers' Brisbane, KEMH Perth, etc.) all have antenatal STI protocols.
Cost summary. $59 Specialist GP consultation. Pathology bulk-billed with Medicare or direct-billed for OSHC and most major insurers. Free follow-up treatment consult if you tested positive with us. PBS-priced eScripts. No subscription, no membership fee, no hidden costs. Free state public sexual health clinics are listed above as alternatives if you can't pay.
