Travel Clinic
We offer the travel health service free of charge, but unfortunately the NHS does not cover the cost of all the treatments you may need. Therefore, for some services you may need to pay. There is also a national shortage of certain vaccines at the moment and we can only offer the following vaccination in the practice: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio and Typhoid. Please check the websites below first to find out what vaccines you may be required to have for your destination and call to book an appointment to see the nurse for one of these vaccines only. For anything else please visit private travel clinics.
Malaria Tablets are NOT provided on the NHS and sometimes can be bought over-the-counter or may require a private prescription. The nurse can advise regarding this or you could discuss with your pharmacist. REMEMBER some tablets have to be started at least one week before you travel and you need continue to take them when you return to the UK for the advised length of time.
Travel Vaccinations
Travel Health Pro
We recommend you access Travel Health Pro for advice on the vaccines you are likely to need for your holiday. TravelHealthPro is the website comprising the travel health resources of the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC).
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
- AntidiarrhoealsTravel 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.
Hepatitis immunisation
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.
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.