If you’re planning to travel outside the UK, you may need to be vaccinated against some of the serious diseases found in other parts of the world
Due to changes in the provision of care in our NHS GP Practice, we will be offering travel vaccinations provided by the NHS only.
As part of the NHS general medical services, the following travel vaccines are available free on the NHS if your GP practice is signed up to provide vaccination (immunisations) services.
- polio (given as a combined diphtheria/tetanus/polio jab)
- typhoid
- hepatitis A
- cholera (if your travel risk assessment advises these for your travel itinerary)
These vaccines are free because they protect against diseases thought to represent the greatest risk to public health if they were brought into the country.
If possible, check your travel vaccination requirements at least 8 weeks before you’re due to travel. In the UK, the NHS routine Immunisation (vaccination) schedule protects you against a number of diseases, but does not cover all of the infectious diseases found overseas. Although many routine NHS vaccinations are given during childhood, you can have some of them (such as the MMR vaccine) as an adult if you missed getting vaccinated as a child. Check with the Surgery to see if you are up to date with your immunisations.
Patients who plan to travel abroad are now recommended to seek travel advice online. There are several online travel advice providers available to consult. You can find out which vaccinations are necessary or recommended for the areas you’ll be visiting on these websites:
You can also get advice and other travel vaccines not provided by the NHS from private travel vaccination clinics or by booking an appointment at pharmacies offering travel healthcare services.
The cost of travel vaccines that are not available on the NHS will vary, depending on the vaccine and number of doses you need. Some vaccines need to be given well in advance to allow your body to develop immunity, and some vaccines involve a number of doses spread over several weeks or months.
If you’re only travelling to countries in northern and central Europe, North America or Australia, you’re unlikely to need any vaccinations. But it’s important to check that you’re up-to-date with routine vaccinations available on the NHS.