Travel Clinic

Arranging your Travel appointment

In order to assist us to make a full assessment of the potential risks to your health from your planned travel, we would ask that you make a Travel Clinic appointment with our Practice Nurse. Ideally, this appointment should be made around the time of booking your holiday, at least 6 weeks before you travel.

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible, as a second appointment will be required with the Practice Nurse to actually receive the vaccinations.These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine. Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.

Vaccines

Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge.This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS.

Please note only the undernoted vaccines are available on NHS Prescriptions:-

  • Hepatitis A
  • Typhoid
  • Diphtheria
  • Tetanus
  • Polio

Travel Form

You can also complete the online Travel form and send this to us (this must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to travel and you must have a booked appointment before submitting this form).

> When are you departing and for how long?

> Where are you going, including the destinations within a country?

> Where are you staying, e.g. backpacking, camping, hotels?

> Are you planning to undertake any high risk activities?

> Have you taken out travel insurance and have you informed the company of any existing medical condition?

> If female and of child bearing age, is there any possibility you could be pregnant, or are you planning a pregnancy?

> Do you have any medical conditions, or a history of significant medical illness? (these can influence the choice of malaria tablets we recommend)

You may require a doctor’s letter for various reasons eg fitness to travel or confirmation of medical conditions. Please contact reception to make your request which will be dealt with in the most appropriate way.

If you are pregnant and require a doctor’s letter as proof of ‘permission to travel’ please be aware that many airlines require your doctor’s letter to be signed within 48 hours of international travel.

Please note that you will not be provided with a doctor’s ‘permission to travel’ letter if you are due in less than 30 days or if your pregnancy is considered high-risk.

Have you checked if there are medication restrictions in the country you’re travelling to, or if you might need a letter to support having medication on board in cases like allergies or insulin? Have a look at the NHS guide and ensure you check with your airline if you aren’t sure.

Make sure you check with your GP or Surgeon any precautions you may need to take and have a look at these guidelines for an idea.

Immunisation against infectious Hepatitis (Hepatitis A) is available free of charge on the NHS in connection with travel abroad. However Hepatitis B is not routinely available free of charge and therefore you may be charged for this vaccination when requested in connection with travel abroad.

If you are unable to wait for our next available travel advice appointment, as advised by the reception staff, then you can attend any Private Travel Clinic—charges will apply at these clinics.

Advice on Medicines and Vaccines for Patients Travelling Outside the UK

Under NHS legislation, the NHS ceases to have responsibility for people when they leave the UK. GP’s are not required to provide prescriptions for the treatment of a condition that may arise while the patient is abroad. 

For example:

  • sun cream/lotions
  • pain relief
  • antidiarrhoeals
  • travel sickness medicines

For Prescription Only Medicines (POM), patients may be offered and charged for a private prescription e.g. Ciprofloxacin for traveller’s diarrhoea. The GMS contract allows items for travel to be prescribed by GPs for patients on their NHS list.

Drugs for malaria prophylaxis are not prescribed on the NHS

  • Patients should be advised to purchase where possible over the counter medications
  • For prescription only medicines (eg. Doxycycline, Lariam®, Malarone® and Maloprim®), GPs may charge for and issue a private prescription.

All other travel vaccinations are not available on the NHS and must therefore must be offered to patients via a private prescription;

  • Meningitis ACWY
  • Tick Borne Encephalitis
  • Japanese Encephalitis
  •  Rabies
  •  Yellow Fever Vaccine

Healthy Travel Leaflet

You may find the following leaflet helpful when making your travel arrangements.

Please download and print our useful guide below about Mosquito advice.

Excess quantities of regular repeat prescriptions

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).

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.

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.

Non-urgent advice: Useful Links

 It would help us greatly if you had some awareness of the travel problems that you may be at risk from on your trip before you come for your appointment.

Please look at the following website, to read the information for the county you are visiting NHS Overview – Travel Vaccinations

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Lonely Planet’s website

International Society of Travel Medicine

Health Advice for the Diabetic 

Fit for Travel

Medical Advice Services for Travellers Abroad

Travel Health Pro

UK travel health – site developed by a nurse