National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP)
Information, data, guidance and resources about the NCSP.
The aim of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) is to focus on reducing the harms from untreated chlamydia infection. The harmful effects of chlamydia occur predominantly in women and other people with a womb or ovaries so the opportunistic screening (that is the proactive offer of a chlamydia test to young people without symptoms) should focus on women, combined with:
- reducing time to test results and treatment
- strengthening partner notification
- re-testing after treatment
Women and other people with a womb or ovaries include transgender men, and non-binary people assigned female at birth, and intersex people with a womb or ovaries.
In practice this means that chlamydia screening in community settings, such as GPs and pharmacies, will only be proactively offered to young women. Services provided by sexual health services remain unchanged. Everyone can still get tested if they need, but men will not be proactively offered a test unless an indication has been identified, such as being a partner of someone with chlamydia or having symptoms.
Young adults looking for information on chlamydia and chlamydia testing should visit:
You may be able to access online test kits by searching for local online sexual health services.
Contact
National chlamydia screening programme (NCSP)
Blood Safety, Hepatitis, STI and HIV Division
UK Health Security Agency
61 Colindale Avenue
London
NW9 5EQ
Email ncspteam@phe.gov.uk
Programme overview
Data
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) collects data on all chlamydia tests undertaken in England from NHS laboratories, local authorities and NHS commissioned laboratories, to measure screening activity.
Chlamydia activity data reported by UKHSA are based on primary care and community service chlamydia data from CTAD Chlamydia Surveillance System, and chlamydia data from GUMCAD STI Surveillance System.
Commissioning and provider guidance
Guidance to support the commissioning and provision of chlamydia screening (some of these are due to be reviewed).
Quality assurance (QA)
The NCSP is committed to supporting the highest possible standards in the commissioning and provision of chlamydia screening.
NCSP patient information leaflet
Updates to this page
Last updated 15 September 2023 + show all updates
-
Added 'CTAD Chlamydia Surveillance System' and 'Chlamydia: information about testing'.
-
Updated information on NCSP, links and added ‘NCSP: talking with young people about changes to chlamydia screening’.
-
Added statement about the changes to the National Chlamydia Screening Programme.
-
Added details on requiring a test kit and the National Sexual Health Helpline.
-
Added 'Audit and commissioning sexual health services' document.
-
Added the ‘NCSP: incidents reporting policy’ under QA.
-
First published.