How to get your NHS travel vaccinations
The system for getting any of your travel vaccinations under the NHS on the UK has changed.
You cannot just rock up at your doctors and get a few free jabs. Firstly doctors no longer give you the vaccinations. The nurse does that but also that, you must go first to a Travel Clinic to discuss your travel plans and the pharmacist will then give you a list of the vaccinations that are recommended and the ones that are available free on the NHS, will be checked on another list which they will countersign and you then go and book an appointment with the nurse at your GP surgery.
It's complicated but it's done to relieve the pressure on the doctors.
I called up Boots, who have in-store Travel Clinics at the largest branches, got an appointment and it just so happens that they can give the Yellow Fever Vaccinations.
Free vaccinations available under the NHS are:
Diphtheria, polio, tetanus
Hepatitis A
Typhoid
Cholera
The Cholera vaccine which comes in a sachet wasn't available before.
So once we had the chat about where my travels would take me, it was recommended that I have the following in addition to the ones above:
Hepatitis B, Meningococcal and Rabies, which I'm not gonna have. But the pharmacist is full filling her role. She is there to merely suggest.
Antimalarials were also discussed but thankfully the pharmacist was Nigerian so she understood that doctors locally know the symptoms and can treat you. I told her when I was a naive traveller and took Lariam. We had a laugh.
And after giving me my Yellow Fever jab, she signed me off and I can now go to my doctors and make an appointment with the nurse and get my free NHS vaccinations.
Update: Had the free vaccinations: Dip Polio Tet booster, HepA and Typhoid. Gotta pick up the Cholera myself as it's in sachet form.
You cannot just rock up at your doctors and get a few free jabs. Firstly doctors no longer give you the vaccinations. The nurse does that but also that, you must go first to a Travel Clinic to discuss your travel plans and the pharmacist will then give you a list of the vaccinations that are recommended and the ones that are available free on the NHS, will be checked on another list which they will countersign and you then go and book an appointment with the nurse at your GP surgery.
It's complicated but it's done to relieve the pressure on the doctors.
I called up Boots, who have in-store Travel Clinics at the largest branches, got an appointment and it just so happens that they can give the Yellow Fever Vaccinations.
Free vaccinations available under the NHS are:
Diphtheria, polio, tetanus
Hepatitis A
Typhoid
Cholera
The Cholera vaccine which comes in a sachet wasn't available before.
So once we had the chat about where my travels would take me, it was recommended that I have the following in addition to the ones above:
Hepatitis B, Meningococcal and Rabies, which I'm not gonna have. But the pharmacist is full filling her role. She is there to merely suggest.
Antimalarials were also discussed but thankfully the pharmacist was Nigerian so she understood that doctors locally know the symptoms and can treat you. I told her when I was a naive traveller and took Lariam. We had a laugh.
And after giving me my Yellow Fever jab, she signed me off and I can now go to my doctors and make an appointment with the nurse and get my free NHS vaccinations.
Update: Had the free vaccinations: Dip Polio Tet booster, HepA and Typhoid. Gotta pick up the Cholera myself as it's in sachet form.
