Sex clinics 'not up to scratch'

16 to 24-year-olds are most at risk of contracting an STI

One in five young people who visit sexual health clinics say their experience is either bad or very bad.

In a new report, Unicef and the Terrence Higgins Trust say more has got to be done to reduce long waiting times and make services more friendly, confidential and easily accessible.

They reckon most young people don't know where to go for trusted information on sexual health and have to rely on the internet and advice from friends.

Connie Wessels from Unicef UK said: "Many told us that going to a clinic was an intimidating and awkward experience.

"They were scared of being seen by someone their parents might know."

Britain has the highest numbers of teenage pregnancies in western Europe.

'Stupid questions'

Young people between 16 and 24 are also most at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection, according to the latest government figures.

Some people said they found sexual health clinics intimidating

But the Unicef/THT survey of 500 under 25s found a third of those having sex said they had never been to a sexual health clinic.

Seventy per cent said they didn't need to, a fifth said they were too embarrassed and one in ten said they didn't know where the local clinic was.

Sixteen-year-old Birzi from south London told Newsbeat: "They ask stupid questions like: 'Why do you need a condom?' and make you fill out long forms.

"It's just not needed. It's obvious what we are here for."

Young women also said they were scared to be seen going in to a clinic in case they were labelled as slutty or promiscuous.

Single service needed

Three quarters of young people surveyed said they would use the internet to get information on sexual health, making it by far the most popular option ahead of friends and parents.

Some said they went to official websites like the NHS but most ended up using search engines and services like Yahoo Answers where they could not necessarily trust the information they were given.

More than 80% said they needed a single service along the same lines as the government's 'Talk to Frank' drugs campaign.

Sara, 16, from Croydon said: "The majority of young people just watch porn and get the wrong message from it.

"A single website would be a great way to teach sex; it is so needed."

The government's health minister Gillian Merron said more than £4m is now being spent making health services more accessible to young people.

"We have done a great deal of work on improving local sexual health services, and that has had a real impact on the lives of many people," she said.

"They are now able to access clinics more quickly and the range of services they receive has greatly improved."