Travel Health

Due to staff shortages, we are temporarily unable to offer appointments for travel advice.

For information to help you, click on the following links:

https://www.janechiodini.co.uk/help/tar/

https://www.masta-travel-health.com/

We apologise for any inconvenience, but we must prioritise care for our patients.

If you are travellling abroad, please click HERE to complete the form in plenty of time (we recommend 8-10 weeks) before your journey.

After completing the form, please contact reception to arrange an appointment with our practice nurse for travel health advice and appropriate vaccinations.

Please note that we no longer provide a full range of travel vaccinations. The following vaccinations are available:

Typhoid, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, HepA

For all other vaccinations you may need, we recommend that you contact a private provider.

Select the region you are travelling to find out more.

Africa

Central Asia

East Asia

Australasia & Pacific

Caribbean

Central America

Europe & Russia

Middle East

North America

South America & Antarctica

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

We will no longer be providing Diazepam or similar drugs for flight anxiety.

People often request the doctor to prescribe diazepam for fear of flying or assist with sleep during flights.

There are several very good reasons why prescribing this drug is not recommended:

• Prescribing guidelines that doctors follow don’t recommend using benzodiazepines like diazepam in phobias. We would be acting against these guidelines if we prescribe. They are only licensed for short term use for a crisis in generalised anxiety disorder. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.
• Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy, more relaxed and can significantly delay your reaction times. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation.
• 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. There is concern this can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung which can be dangerous. This risk is greater if your flight is greater than four hours.
• Whilst most people find sedative medications like diazepam have a relaxing effect, a small number of people can actually feel more agitated or even aggressive after taking it. Diazepam can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally.
• 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 if you are carrying any on arrival.
• 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 lower risk approach is to tackle this properly and hopefully permanently, with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines and we have listed a number of these below or there are also some free online courses:

• Easy Jet Tel: 0203 8131644
• British Airways Tel: 01252 793250
• Virgin Atlantic Tel: 01423 714900

Patients who still wish to take benzodiazepines for flight anxiety are advised to consult with a private GP or travel clinic.