Arranging your Travel appointment
We only have a limited number of travel appointments available. Prior to travelling, please allow as much time as possible to arrange your appointment for the Travel Clinic (preferably an appointment at least 6 weeks or more in advance of travel), which will be with the Practice Nurse. The Practice Nurse will require to know which countries, and areas within countries, that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.
When booking an appointment for your travel vaccinations it is required that patients complete a travel form at least 2 weeks prior to the appointment. Failure to submit the form will result in the appointment being cancelled. These vaccines must be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine.
Travel Vaccination Form (Word Doc)
It would also be helpful to our Practice Nurse if you could provide a print out of the vaccinations you require for the country you are visiting. You can use the following website for advice and to provide a printout:
NHS travel vaccinations that we can provide
The following travel vaccinations are usually available free on the NHS:
- diphtheria, polio and tetanus (combined booster)
- typhoid
- hepatitis A – including when combined with typhoid or hepatitis B
These vaccines are usually free because they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the country.
Private travel vaccinations and medications that we do not provide
We do not provide the following vaccinations or medications, and if these are indicated you will be directed to a specialist private travel clinic, private doctor service or to purchase over the counter medicines:
- hepatitis B when not combined with hepatitis A
- Japanese encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis
- meningitis vaccines
- rabies
- tuberculosis (TB)
- yellow fever
- drugs for malaria prophylaxis
- prescription only medicines for travel (eg. Doxycycline, Lariam®, Malarone® and Maloprim®), these can be obtained from a private doctor provider.
- patients should be advised to purchase where possible over the counter medications
Under NHS legislation, the NHS ceases to have responsibility for people when they leave the United Kingdom. However, to ensure good patient care the following guidance is offered. People travelling to Europe should be advised to apply for a Global Health Insurance Card.
Medication required for a pre-existing condition should be provided in sufficient quantity to cover the journey and to allow the patient to obtain medical attention abroad. If the patient is returning within the timescale of their usual prescription, then this should be issued (the maximum duration of a prescription is recommended by the Care Trust to be two months, although it is recognised that prescription quantities are sometimes greater than this). Patients are entitled to carry prescribed medicines, even if originally classed as controlled drugs, for example, morphine sulphate tablets.
For longer visits abroad, the patient should be advised to register with a local doctor for continuing medication (this may need to be paid for by the patient).
Our NHS General practitioners are not responsible for prescriptions of items required for conditions which may arise while travelling, for example travel sickness or diarrhoea. Patients should be advised to purchase these items from community pharmacies prior to travel or for prescriptions drugs from a private healthcare provided e.g. private GP service.
Planning on having private treatment/surgery in the UK or abroad?
Please be aware that the whole episode of the treatment should be provided by the private provider, i.e. blood tests and other tests, suture removal, dressing changes, routine wound check, prescribing during your episode of private treatment, etc., and the Practice should not be involved in any aspects of this episode of treatment, with the exception of emergency care relating to the treatment.
It is also the private providers responsibility to issue a Fit Note covering the entire anticipated period off work, but if any longer time off is then required when you are no longer under the care of the provider then this would be the practice responsibility.