If you are travelling overseas for a holiday, you may need to obtain additional immunisations or medications to prevent contracting certain illnesses. This is a complex area of health care which is becoming increasingly specialised and guidance changes often.
To access travel health advice, you have a number of options:
1.Consult a specialist (private)travel health clinic. The nearest is Abermed (01463 710441) in Inverness
2.Consult with a GP trained in travel medicine(currently only Dr Woodall) in a special travel clinic appointment
We are happy to provide travel health advice free of charge. However, there are a number of situations where this may not be possible:
1.When travel is to be conducted at short notice (<1 week) – in this case you need specialist advice from a private clinic; ideally you should book to see us at least 6 weeks prior to travel
2.When you require Yellow Fever immunisation: only specialist clinics can provide this and, again, we would advise you see a specialist private clinic.
What is provided free by the NHS and what do I have to pay for?
The NHS provides only certain immunisations to travellers free of charge: these are primarily offered to protect the rest of the public from travellers returning from abroad with transmissible infectious diseases rather than for the direct benefit of the traveller themselves. Immunisations which are provided free by the NHS, after assessment of need, are:
·Hepatitis A
·Typhoid
·Cholera
·Meningococcal A, C, W, Y
The following are only issued on private prescription for which the fee is payable to any pharmacist AND are subject to a practice charge of £25 (covers all items except letters which accrue an additional charge):
·All other immunisations (eg Yellow Fever, Hepatitis B)
·Any medications solely required for travel (eg malaria prevention, antibiotics to prevent infections, drugs to prevent clots in legs)
·Letters to prove fitness to travel, freedom from infection
Step by step instructions obtain travel health advice, immunisations and medications from the practice
1.PLAN AHEAD: allow at least 6 weeks before your journey to ensure you have enough time to undertake any necessary immunisations
2.Go to http://www.masta-travel-health.com/health-brief/and complete an online assessment of your travel plans. This costs £3.99 and is well worth the cost, providing a detailed 8-10 page report of your travel needs and sensible advice. Not only will it tell you accurately what immunisations or medications you may need, it will also explain what vaccination requirements existto allow entry to any country you plan to visit. Many countries have strict requirements for travellers requiring proof of immunisation to allow entry. The practice is not able, and not required by the NHS, to provide this advice – hence it is sensible to check properly and MASTA are constantly checking for changes to visa rules. Each traveller requires a separate named health brief – one cannot cover all the family!
3.Each traveller should print off a copy of the travel brief and provide this to the surgery at the time of booking your travel clinic appointment. At present, only Dr Woodall is conducting protected travel clinics, which are held once per month at both Brora and Helmsdale practices. The practice will scan your document and return the original to you. This gives Dr Woodall a detailed breakdown of your travel plans which is required BEFORE you attend your appointment. Each person travelling requires a separate appointment.
4.Attend the travel clinic appointment you have booked. You will be assessed, provided with any NHS prescriptions for immunisations free of charge and given travel health advice. If you require any further medications or immunisations which are not funded by the NHS, these will be provided to you privately if you wish, or you may wish to see a private travel clinic to have these delivered.
5.If you require any private prescription, this will be prepared for you within 48 hours of your appointment. The pharmacist will charge you for the actual cost of the medications, which can be expensive. The practice also charges a £25 fee per person (for all private medications issued) which must be paid prior to release of your private prescription.
6.Take your prescriptions to a pharmacy of your choice and obtain the medications you need: if you are obtaining immunisations, the surgery will happily store these for you correctly until they are given
7.Make an appointment with the practice nurse (not GP) for any injections you require with sufficient time to allow the vaccine to take effect; as a minimum, this should normally be to complete the course at least 2 weeks prior to travel.
