Vaccination Advice

leylandsunaddict

PompeyPete wrote: »

If you go to a MASTA clinic...

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

...you'll get asked lots of questions, and your answers will all be fed into a computer.

At the end of your appointment you'll be given a hard-copy health brief, which is bespoke and valid only for the travel that you've just discussed at the appointment.

If you have to make a claim against your travel insurance, then you can use that hard-copy health brief to support your claim. Well worth it for the peace of mind it provides.

The surgery gave me a Masta Health Passport that they fill in with the date that the innoculation was given, and the date it's effective to.

Voyager2002

NPilks wrote: »

My only other alternative, after another phone call to the GP, is to temporarily register at another GP in order to receive the vaccines. Has anyone ever done this before?

Many people have tried...

My GP is in a small town in England where they are the only medical practice to run a travel clinic. They give vaccinations on the NHS to their own patients, while those registered elsewhere have to come as private patients and pay accordingly. Needless to say, lots of people seek to register temporarily and so they take care to weed these out.

I think that if you are to register with another practice and receive the vaccinations on the NHS, it would have to be a genuine move. Even then, be prepared to jump through several hoops in order to demonstrate that you are really changing GP and not just playing the system.

Have you explored whether you could get the vaccinations in Mexico?

PompeyPete

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

The surgery gave me a Masta Health Passport that they fill in with the date that the innoculation was given, and the date it's effective to.

I think we should all have something like that.

I worked for the Diplomatic Corps for a few years, and part of their duty of care is to make sure their staff and their families who are posted overseas are fully up-to-date with vaccinations. We had a FCO Health Passport, which we kept, and had it updated as and when.

The bespoke health guide that I mentioned is completely separate, and is only relevant to the journey about to be undertaken and covers what was discussed at the appointment with the MASTA nurse.

814man

Another side of this argument, that I think we discussed in a similar thread on here a while back, goes that of course everyone should be entitled to the recommended vaccinations needed to live in the UK for free, funded by the NHS. However why should the NHS, funded as it is by the taxpayers, provide vaccinations at no cost to individuals who are able to afford expensive overseas holidays that many taxpayers would consider a luxury. Surely if you can afford a multi thousand pound holiday then you can afford your own vaccinations rather than looking to the hard pressed NHS to fund them for you.

NPilks

814man wrote: »

Another side of this argument, that I think we discussed in a similar thread on here a while back, goes that of course everyone should be entitled to the recommended vaccinations needed to live in the UK for free, funded by the NHS. However why should the NHS, funded as it is by the taxpayers, provide vaccinations at no cost to individuals who are able to afford expensive overseas holidays that many taxpayers would consider a luxury. Surely if you can afford a multi thousand pound holiday then you can afford your own vaccinations rather than looking to the hard pressed NHS to fund them for you.

I can see where you are coming from but everyone should not be tarnished with the same brush.
I have saved for this holiday for 10 years and haven't been on a holiday at all in 12 years. I do not spend thousands a year on going away to then refuse to pay for medical expenses. I have paid out for everything I deem a personal expense, however, if vaccinations were not given on the NHS to everyone in the UK, then this would not be a problem. The fact that they are available to some and not the others dependent on whether the practice feels like it, is not right. Also add to this that in my particular situation, it is simply down to a staff error.

Heliflyguy

814man wrote: »

However why should the NHS, funded as it is by the taxpayers, provide vaccinations at no cost to individuals

Could be that where it is free that the cost of prevention might be cheaper than the cure.

PompeyPete

NPilks wrote: »

I can see where you are coming from but everyone should not be tarnished with the same brush.

I don't think you were being tarnished.

You're not asking to be treated as a special case. What's provided 'free' on the NHS shouldn't be post-coded or down to luck.

And those travel medicines that aren't 'free' on the NHS, such as Rabies and anti-malarials should be paid for by everyone without exception. But they're not what you are asking for.

Dragonqueen

tomtontom wrote: »

Unless the practice is part of a larger group they (the practice) will not be able to arrange the injections at another practice. They are separate businesses (practices are privately run), it would be like Boots asking Superdrug for a favour.

Perhaps the GP cannot do them because they are too busy dealing with sick people? They may be willing to do so outside NHS hours, but that would normally be chargeable.

I work in a GP practice, so am aware they are run as a private business - however, it is not unheard of for local surgeries to work together in times of need and provide joint services by private agreement.

The vaccinations needed are provided on the NHS free of charge - see here - http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-immunisation/pages/Introduction.aspx

All other vaccinations are fee based and classed as private services.

I still fail to see how only one nurse can provide vaccinations? Even if your surgery runs a vaccination clinic on certain days only, there should be some leeway available if that staff member is off on long term sick, or there should be another staff member available or an agency nurse. Good luck anyhow!

katejo

2 years ago I needed tetanus and hepatitis A. My GP surgery said that there was a shortage in supply and that they couldn't guarantee availability. They referred me to a travel shop which offered private vaccinations. I argued re. payment but they refused to do it. The travel shop did the initial jab and offered a booster 6 months later to make it last longer. The nurse told me that the NHS only gives 1 jab which only lasts a shorter time.