Free Hepatitis B Test Kit by Post

Description: Get checked for hepatitis B with a free home self-sampling test from SHL. Take your own blood sample at home, post it to our lab to be tested, and get your confidential results online.

You prick your finger with a special needle called a lancet. Then collect some drops of blood in the sample tube. We have lots of tips to help you collect your blood sample. It’s a very small amount of blood and most people can manage it.

Availability: This depends on whether you’re using SHL for the first time and whether your consultation suggests you need hepatitis B testing.

All registered SHL users can order up to 4 home self-sampling test kits a year. Check which SHL services are available in your London borough.

Delivery: £0.00 Free delivery to your home or another London address. Always in a plain discreet package that fits through the letterbox.

Returning your samples is free too. Put them in the prepaid box and then post in any Royal Mail postbox.

STI Kit Cost: £0.00 Free.

Results: You’ll usually get your results 2 or 3 days after your samples arrive at our lab. We’ll text or email when they’re ready. You can see them online in your SHL account. They’re completely secure and private.

Hepatitis B test results are usually either negative or reactive.

• A negative result means hepatitis B was not detected.
• A reactive result may mean you have hepatitis B infection, but you need further blood testing to confirm this. You’ll usually be advised to go to a clinic for this blood test, although in some cases we ask you to re-test using another SHL test kit instead of attending a clinic. In some cases when these additional tests are done, they show that you do not have hepatitis B.

More about what SHL test results mean

Treatment: If you have active hepatitis B, you’ll be referred to a specialist hepatitis clinic for ongoing care. This may include hepatitis B treatment.

Consultation: Our online consultation checks if a home self-sampling hepatitis B test is right for you. We may also offer you other STI tests. Some tests need different samples, like a urine sample or vaginal swab.

Hepatitis B

• Hepatitis B is a virus that affects the liver. It can be passed on during sex without a condom or through blood-to-blood contact, for example by sharing drug injecting equipment
• Hepatitis B is not common, but it’s more common in London than other parts of the UK
• If you have a higher chance of getting it, a hepatitis B vaccination can help protect you
• Many people with hepatitis B don’t notice any symptoms – getting tested is the only way to know if you have it
• In most people, the immune system can clear hepatitis B quite quickly – but some people may need treatment
• In some people, hepatitis B lasts for 6 months or more. This is called chronic hepatitis B and can be treated and managed with regular check-ups
• If chronic hepatitis B is not managed effectively it can lead to serious liver damage
• If you have hepatitis B, sexual partners and people you live with need to get tested. They may need hepatitis B vaccination and sometimes need other treatment if they’ve been exposed very recently.

Do I need a hepatitis B test?

Hepatitis B can damage the liver if it’s not detected and managed.

Anyone can get hepatitis B, but some people have a higher chance of acquiring it. You may need a hepatitis B test, if you’ve not been vaccinated against hepatitis B and you:

Share drug injecting equipment

Have multiple sexual partners or often change sexual partner

Are a gay, bisexual or other man who has sex with men

Are transgender

• Have had sex with someone with hepatitis B
• Have a close family member with hepatitis B
• Are a sex worker or receive money or gifts in exchange for sex
• Are from (or you have a sexual partner from) a country where hepatitis B is common (outside of Western Europe, North America and Australasia)
• Frequently travel to a part of the world with high rates of hepatitis B (see above)
• Have hepatitis B symptoms
• Have HIV or another STI
• Have chronic kidney disease or liver disease (including hepatitis C)
• Are a healthcare or public safety worker at risk of exposure to blood, or body fluids containing blood, on the job
• Are pregnant – a test will be offered as part of your early pregnancy care
• Take medication that suppresses the immune system
• Take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV – more about PrEP and PEP

Hepatitis B testing will soon be provided to everyone having an STI screen with SHL for the first time. After this, if you order further STI test kits we’ll ask you a few questions to check if you could be at higher risk of hepatitis B. If so, we’ll offer further testing for it.

If you have a higher chance of getting hepatitis B, a free hepatitis B vaccination can help protect you. The vaccine is safe and effective.

When’s the best time to get a hepatitis B test?

When you order an STI testing kit, SHL will assess if you need hepatitis B testing by asking you certain questions.

If you’re not offered a hepatitis B test but feel you need one, you can contact the SHL team to discuss this. We may sometimes suggest you get tested at a sexual health clinic instead of testing at home.

Hepatitis B may not show up on a test straight away. Testing too early may mean you test negative even if you do have early hepatitis B. Consider retesting 3 to 6 months after your last possible exposure to hepatitis B to make sure your test is as accurate as possible.

• More about when to test.
• Check if you can order a free home self-sampling kit.