Travel Clinic

The Practice no longer provides Travel Advice or Travel Immunisations

  • Patients can access information on what vaccinations are required, together with malarial and safe travel advice at Home – Fit for Travel.  
  • Four Travel Vaccines are available on the NHS (Typhoid, Hepatitis A, DPT and Cholera) at no direct cost to the patient. 

Please remember to allow at least 6 to 8 weeks to arrange your vaccination appointment before departure. If you are pregnant or have a child travelling under the age of 2 years you should seek advice and all vaccinations required from your journey from the travel clinic.

The Monklands Travel Clinic is based in the NHS Lanarkshire regional Infectious Diseases unit and is run by a team of highly experienced specialist Infectious Diseases/Tropical Medicine doctors and nurses.

We advise that you arrange an appointment at least 4-6 weeks prior to your travel date.

Travel health and vaccinations

If you’re planning to travel outside the UK, your travel health needs will depend on your individual situation. This includes:

  • your destination
  • how long you’ll stay
  • what you’ll be doing
  • your general health

Have you checked if there are medication restrictions in the country you’re travelling to, or if you might need a letter to support having medication on board in cases like allergies or insulin? Have a look at the NHS guide and ensure you check with your airline if you aren’t sure.

Make sure you check with your GP or Surgeon any precautions you may need to take and have a look at these guidelines for an idea.

Immunisation against infectious Hepatitis (Hepatitis A) is available free of charge on the NHS in connection with travel abroad. However Hepatitis B is not routinely available free of charge and therefore you may be charged for this vaccination when requested in connection with travel abroad.

If you are unable to wait for our next available travel advice appointment, as advised by the reception staff, then you can attend any Private Travel Clinic—charges will apply at these clinics.

Excess quantities of regular repeat prescriptions

Under NHS legislation, the NHS ceases to have responsibility for people when they leave the United Kingdom. However, to ensure good patient care the following guidance is offered. People travelling to Europe should be advised to apply for a Global Health Insurance Card.

Medication required for a pre-existing condition should be provided in sufficient quantity to cover the journey and to allow the patient to obtain medical attention abroad. If the patient is returning within the timescale of their usual prescription, then this should be issued (the maximum duration of a prescription is recommended by the Care Trust to be two months, although it is recognised that prescription quantities are sometimes greater than this). Patients are entitled to carry prescribed medicines, even if originally classed as controlled drugs, for example, morphine sulphate tablets.

For longer visits abroad, the patient should be advised to register with a local doctor for continuing medication (this may need to be paid for by the patient).

General practitioners are not responsible for prescriptions of items required for conditions which may arise while travelling, for example travel sickness or diarrhoea. Patients should be advised to purchase these items from community pharmacies prior to travel.

Planning on having private treatment/surgery in the UK or abroad?

Please be aware that the whole episode of the treatment should be provided by the private provider, i.e. blood tests and other tests, suture removal, dressing changes, routine wound check, prescribing during your episode of private treatment, etc., and the Practice should not be involved in any aspects of this episode of treatment, with the exception of emergency care relating to the treatment.

It is also the private providers responsibility to issue a Fit Note covering the entire anticipated period off work, but if any longer time off is then required when you are no longer under the care of the provider then this would be the practice responsibility.