Travel Clinic

Travel Vaccinations

Our Treatment Room nurses can administer travel vaccines that are provided on the NHS. 

The following vaccinations are commonly advised for many destinations, are available free on the NHS and can be given here as necessary:

  • Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio (combined vaccine)
  • Hepatitis A
  • Typhoid

Other vaccinations (eg Yellow Fever, Rabies, Hepatitis B) may be advised or required depending on the length of trip, type of accommodation, region being visited, planned activities, purpose of the trip, and sometimes due to disease outbreaks.

These vaccines would need to be given at a high street travel clinic/pharmacy (see below) and paid for privately.

Malaria prophylaxis medication is not prescribable on the NHS and you will have to pay for your tablets. We are able to advise on appropriate malaria medication and provide a private prescription for these but we have to charge a private prescription fee of £15 per person (on top of the cost of the tablets). This may be cheaper at a pharmacy or travel clinic.

Please plan ahead, you are advised to check your requirements at least 6-8 weeks before travel. Some vaccinations may need several doses given over a number of weeks.

If you have had travel vaccines before you can make a telephone appointment with us to check what we have on record and then arrange to have any recommended NHS vaccines here.

You should also visit the NHS: Fit For Travel website to read the information for the country you are visiting. If it is likely that you will be recommended to have further vaccinations and/or take malaria tablets then you can contact one of the travel clinics listed below:

Foreign Travel Advice

Vaccinations play only a small part in preventing illness when travelling.

Please read the following Top Tips for Healthy Travel

  • Always check your destination(s) for the risk of malaria. Malaria can kill. Make sure you are protected with tablets if you need to be and use insect repellent
  • Avoid all mosquito and other insect bites by using insect repellent, covering up and sleeping under a net. Avoid getting Malaria, Dengue Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Zika Virus, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya and more
  • Avoid Travellers’ Diarrhoea. Drink bottled, boiled or purified water. Cook it, peel it or leave it. Wash your hands before eating or use cleansing alcohol gel
  • Accident prevention. Avoid road travel at night. Wear seatbelts in cars. Wear helmets on bikes. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drink and swim
  • Sexual Health. Do as you would at home – use condoms with new partners. Some countries have much higher prevalence of sexually transmitted infections than the UK, including HIV and Hepatitis B
  • Travel/Medical Insurance. Make sure you have adequate insurance. Medical costs in other countries can be astronomical
  • Animals. In countries where rabies exists, avoid contact with animals such as dogs, cats, monkeys whether wild or domestic.Children should be kept away from animals that might bite

Going abroad for more than three months 

The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2004, states that a person who leaves the UK with the intention of being away for a period of at least three months is removed from the doctor's list and, as a consequence, ceases to be eligible for NHS treatment.

If you are no longer resident in the UK and are living abroad, the NHS normally won't pay for any treatment or services. This includes people who are in receipt of UK state retirement pensions. No longer resident, means that you have left the country for more than three months. Therefore, you will have to obtain healthcare cover in the country you are in, or get private medical insurance. If you are going abroad for more than 3 months then all you are entitled to at NHS expense is a sufficient supply of your regular medication to get to the destination and find an alternative supply of that medication. The maximum quantity that can be supplied is sufficient for 3 months. You should take a copy of your repeat medication list with you. It may be worthwhile having your prescription translated into the language of the country or countries that you're visiting.

Fitness to Fly in Pregnancy Letter

If you are over 28 weeks pregnant, your airline may ask you to get a letter from your doctor stating when your baby is due.

They will ask you to confirm that you are:

  • in good health
  • having a straightforward pregnancy
  • not at any increased risk of complications

Some airlines have their own form that will need to be completed at any stage of pregnancy. You must check the particular requirements on your airline’s website and contact your airline if you are unsure.

The doctors at Gloucester Road Medical centre are no longer completing fitness to fly in pregnancy forms. GPs are not involved in routine antenatal care in pregnancy and no longer have any access to the midwife clinical notes. Your midwife may be able to help you with the completion of these forms.

Fit For Travel Logo

Information on how to stay safe and healthy abroad

Fitfortravel is a free public access website providing up to date health information for the UK public on avoiding illness and staying healthy when travelling abroad.

VISIT FOT FOR TRAVEL

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