Travel Health

Do you need vaccinations?

Travel Advice

As you will be aware, GP surgeries are working under increasing pressure and are having to prioritise the services they can provide. We have previously offered a full travel service, but as the surgery receives limited funding for this and it is very time consuming, we are sadly no longer able to continue this. The NHS has a very comprehensive website, giving the information you need to identify any vaccines advised for trips abroad, & ensure that you stay as healthy as possible. This can be found at the Fit for Travel or Travel health pro websites.

Please use the Fit For Travel website to check what you need and then call the surgery to book a nurse appointment for a travel consultation. The nurse will be able to check your previous vaccination records and provide further advice.

Please note: Beckington Family Practice no longer issues prescriptions for anti-malarial tablets.

The following vaccinations are commonly required for many holiday destinations, and are free of charge on the NHS;

Diphtheria, tetanus & polio

Hepatitis A

Typhoid

Cholera

Other vaccinations may be necessary for more exotic or unusual destinations, complex travel itineraries, or long stay vacations. These need to be given at a high street travel clinic (eg, Nomad or STA Travel). There will be a charge for these. If you would rather have all of your vaccinations done at these clinics, they can also give the vaccines in bold (above) but they will charge for these.

We strongly advise you to check your requirements at least three months before travel, as sometimes a course of up to three vaccinations needs to be given over the course of several weeks.

 

 TRAVEL SAFELY AND ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!

 

Further Travel Information

Further Travel Information

The following websites will give you additional travel advice

Travel Health for information of vaccinations available on NHS

MASTA for private vaccination clinics

Gov.uk for specific country travel advice

EHIC to apply for your free European Health Insurance Card

 

Sedative Prescribing for Fear of Flying

The Beckington Family Practice does NOT prescribe sedatives for fear of flying. This policy decision has been made by the GP Partners and is adhered to by all prescribers working in the practice.

 

There are a number of reasons for this that are set out below:

 

  1. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.

 

  1. Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than 4 hours.

 

  1. Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number of people experience the opposite effect and may become aggressive. Benzodiazepines can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the police.

 

  1. According to the national prescribing guidelines that doctors follow (the British National Formulary, or BNF) benzodiazepines are not allowed to be prescribed in cases of phobia. Thus, your doctor would be taking a significant legal risk by prescribing diazepam for fear of flying as it is going against these guidelines. Benzodiazepines are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.

 

  1. Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated, or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.

 

  1. Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing, you may fail this having taken diazepam.

 

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this with a Fear of Flying course – these are provided by multiple airlines. We have listed a number of these below.

Easy Jet Fear of flying course | Fearless Flyer (easyjet.com)

British Airways Flying with confidence | Information | British Airways

Virgin How to cope with a fear of flying | Virgin