Let’s go travelling

• Go to the Fit for Travel website.
  This is the NHS website which gives you information about health risks in the country you are travelling to and what to do to stay healthy whilst travelling. The Fit for Travel website will give information to cover most trips and many people will not require a specialist travel health risk assessment- especially if you have made similar trips before. Special arrangements are in place for school trips. Ask the teacher leading the trip for further information.

• Decide whether you need further help with a specialist travel health risk assessment
  • Visit Fit for Travel to check out general advice for your country of travel
  • Check out other risks, news and outbreaks
  • Does Fit for Travel make any vaccine recommendations or treatments for your destination or activity
  • Do you have questions about travel and your health conditions that haven’t been answered by your usual clinician (e.g., GP or practice nurse) or Fit for Travel? We might be able to help. Remember NHS Grampian Travel Health Service does not have access to your full clinical records

There are no special requirements for my destination(s)

• If there are no specifically advised vaccinations or treatments for the place or places you will be visiting, you don’t need a specialist travel risk assessment. We would encourage you to keep up to date with Fit for Travel and the Foreign Travel Advice Foreign travel advice – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) up to the time of travel as requirements may change.
• If you are going to visit family or friends in a country you consider home and will be staying in non-tourist accommodation or areas, consider whether you have all the vaccinations or malaria precautions you currently need to keep you safe. Protection you previously had from living in an area may have reduced whilst living in a different country.

There are special requirements for my destination(s) – who can help me?

• The NHS Grampian travel health service offers assessments and advice for more complicated situations when information is not available on Fit for Travel. Four vaccinations are available on the NHS free of charge – Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP); Hepatitis A; Cholera; and Typhoid.
• For travellers who need vaccinations or medicines not covered by NHS services, a private travel health provider will be able to meet your needs for a small fee. This is often a community pharmacy offering a travel health clinic who will assess, advise, and administer any vaccines or prescribe any treatment. A list of private providers is available here
• For travellers who require both NHS and non-NHS services, you can book in for NHS services, but will still need to book in with a private provider for a second assessment and further vaccination or treatment. If you would prefer the convenience of a one stop shop, private providers can offer all the vaccinations for a small fee. A list of private providers is here.
• For travellers who require a Yellow Fever vaccination please follow the link to Public Health Scotland where you will find the most up to date list of Yellow Fever Centres in Grampian.  Yellow Fever Centres – Public Health Scotland

For travellers who need assessment and vaccinations covered by the NHS travel service.

1. Click here to download and fill out the form and return to gram.travelhealth@nhs.scot
2. To complete the form you will need your previous vaccination history (see Step 1 – Routine assessment for details), information about your trip as well as what vaccination or treatment has been recommended by Fit for Travel.
3. We will return the form to you for completion if information is missing.
4. For your convenience, we will arrange an online assessment. This will take the form of an NHS Near Me appointment. This is a secure service which offers a convenient alternative to a face-to-face appointment. Assessment appointments normally take about 20-30 minutes. NHS travel vaccination appointments take place in Elgin, Inverurie, and Aberdeen City (Bon-Accord) only. It is not possible to receive NHS travel vaccinations in any other vaccination centre.
5. During your assessment, vaccines may be recommended which are not available as an NHS service. These can be provided by private travel health services, often in community pharmacies. Please note, tablets for Malaria prophylaxis are not available as an NHS service. If you require additional vaccinations, not provided by the NHS, it is your responsibility to make an appointment with a private provider; we cannot make these appointments on your behalf. If you would prefer the convenience of a one stop shop, private providers can offer all the vaccinations for a small fee. A list of private providers is here