Copy of travel

Arranging your Travel appointment

Prior to travelling please allow as much time as possible to arrange your appointment for the Travel Clinic (at least 6 weeks or more), which will be with the Practice Nurse. The Nurse will require to know which countries, and areas within countries, that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.

It is important to make this initial appointment as early as possible, as the travel vaccinations take time to work and the vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine. 

You can also book an appointment at Boots Travel Vaccination and Health Advice Service. They will give you health information and the vaccinations you need.

Vaccines

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

Vaccination available from the NHS

Travel Questionnaire

Please request a travel questionnaire (this must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to travel). This will give the nurse time to get the vaccines ready.

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 

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

Healthy Travel Leaflet

You may find the following link helpful when making your travel arrangements. This is from NHS Scotland.

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.

Private Travel Clinics

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.

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.

Useful Links