Travel appointments
If you’re planning to travel abroad, we offer travel health assessment with our practice nurse and offer NHS travel vaccination and advice. We offer one appointment per traveler, so please book your appointment well in advance.
We advise booking your appointment at least 6-8 weeks prior to your travel date, to ensure that any vaccines required are effective before your trip.
Many immunisation and medications for travel are not funded through the NHS, so you may need to see a specialist travel clinic.
The nurse may recommend various vaccinations based on your:
- travel destination
- length of trip
- medical history
- planned activities
If your nurse recommends any vaccinations, we will then send you an invite to book an appropriate appointment or offer the vaccine should they be available.
NHS travel vaccinations
NHS travel vaccines are free of charge.
The vaccines available are:
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid Fever
- Polio (as part of tetanus/diphtheria/polio booster)
- Cholera if indicated for your travel plans
Overseas medication and consultation policy
By law, the NHS is no longer responsible for a patient’s medical care once they leave the UK. This means our GPs cannot provide consultations from abroad, including via telephone, email, PATCHS, or video.
The NHS does allow the supply of ongoing medication for temporary trips abroad of up to three months. If you are traveling for longer, you will need to arrange an alternative supply. If you inform us in advance that you are traveling for less than three months, we may provide sufficient medication for existing conditions (e.g., asthma, diabetes) where it is safe to do so. However, medications requiring frequent monitoring may not be prescribed if there are safety concerns. The supply of any medication is at the GP’s discretion.
Patients must not request NHS prescriptions while abroad, as this is considered NHS fraud.
Please also note that some medications commonly prescribed in the UK may be illegal in other countries. It is your responsibility to check with the embassy of your destination before traveling. Likewise, medications prescribed abroad may be unlicensed or unavailable on the NHS in the UK.
If you have any concerns, please discuss them with our healthcare team before you travel.
More advice about foreign travel is available on the NHS website and on the Foreign Office website.