We offer a full travel advice and immunisation service. If you are travelling abroad please complete and submit the travel form in plenty of time (we recommend 6-8 weeks) before your journey.
Travel Health
Do you need vaccinations?
Our Nurses can provide comprehensive travel health advice and arrange for appropriate immunisations. Please arrange an appointment for a travel consultation at least 6-8 weeks before departure if possible. Vaccines need time to take effect and some may require a course over several weeks.
Select the region you are travelling to find out more.
Travel Assessment
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
Tablets for fear of flying: why we don’t prescribe them anymore
People sometimes ask the doctor or nurse to prescribe diazepam, or similar drugs like lorazepam temazepam or clonazepam, for fear of flying or to help sleep during flights.
Prescribing these drugs is not recommended any more for these reasons:
- Although plane emergencies are rare, taking Diazepam reduces awareness and reaction times for patients so you risk not being able to react to save your life if you have to escape quickly. You may also put other people in danger by getting in their way or making them help you.
- The use of these drugs can make you sleep in an unnaturally deep sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep so you have a bigger risk of getting a blood clot (Deep Vein Thrombosis – DVT) in the leg or lungs. Blood clots are very dangerous and can kill. This risk is bigger if your flight is longer than 4 hours.
- They have short term bad effects on memory, co-ordination, concentration and reaction times, and are addictive if used for a long time, with withdrawal leading to fits, hallucinations, agitation and confusion. They have also become widely used drugs of abuse since they first came on the market. Diazepam in the UK is a controlled drug. The prescribing guidelines doctors have to follow say that that use to treat short-term ‘mild’ anxiety is inappropriate. They are only to be used short term for a ‘crisis in generalised anxiety’. But if you are having such a crisis you are not likely to be fit to fly. Fear of flying in isolation is not a generalised anxiety disorder.
- Some people get agitated and aggressive after taking diazepam and similar drugs, and behave in a way that they would not normally, which can pose a risk on the plane. This affects everyone’s safety and could get you into trouble with the law. A similar effect can be seen with alcohol, which has led to people being removed from flights.
- There is evidence use of these drugs stops the normal adjustment response that would gradually lessen anxiety over time, and may increase anxiety in the long term, especially if used repeatedly.
- Diazepam and similar controlled drugs are illegal in a number of countriesi. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.
- Diazepam stays in your system for some time. If your job or sport needs you to have random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.
- It is important to tell your travel insurer about your medical conditions and medications you take. If not, there is a risk of your insurer not paying if you try to make a claim.
So we will no longer be providing Diazepam or similar drugs for flight anxiety. Instead please try one of these aviation industry recommended flight anxiety courses.
Fly And Be Calm™
Fly And Be Calm™ is an instant download and comes with a money back guarantee (Guarantee does not apply to app versions).6 MP3 tracks which include instructions, the fear removal tool and two hypnotic tracks. The least expensive option, takes very little time, works on the root cause of your problem. If you are not 100% happy you can get a full refund. https://flyandbecalm.co.uk/
Easy Jet
British Airways
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/travelassistance/flying-with-confidence
Virgin Atlantic
Fitness to fly certificates
Requests for Fitness to Travel certificates
Unfortunately more and more organisations are sending people to their doctors in order to obtain ‘a note’ to certify that they are fit and well for many and various activities, including in relation to travel and activities abroad.
This often represents an attempt to absolve organisations and individuals from all responsibility for any medical problem that might subsequently arise.
As well as being time consuming and usually unnecessary, such certificates may even imply some sort of liability on our part.
We have therefore decided as a practice, in line with many other doctors, not to sign such pieces of paper, nor provide a letter to that affect.
If any of our patients require a formal medical examination prior to an activity, on behalf of a third party, then we may provide this service, by arrangement, and it will be charged on a private basis.
Travelling Abroad for extended periods
By law, the NHS ceases to have responsibility for the medical care of patients when they leave the UK. People traveling within Europe are advised to carry an authorised European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) at all times and this gives entitlement to reduced cost (and sometimes free) medical treatment. Patients should be advised to check specific entitlements prior to travel.
- For patients who will be out of the country for less than 3 months, it is reasonable to provide sufficient medicines for an existing condition (i.e. asthma, diabetes). The practice will supply up to 3 months of medication for this purpose after reviewing each patient request. This is as the prescriber cannot review or amend any medication for a patient outside of the UK, but the prescriber remains responsible for the prescriptions they sign and must be prepared to explain any decisions made when prescribing and monitoring, therefore less that 3 months may be supplied.
- For patients leaving the country for more than 3 months, they should be advised to register with a local doctor for their continuing medical needs. It is reasonable for GPs to provide sufficient medication to give patients time to do this. No medication will be issued once we are aware the patients is out of the country above a 3 month period as the prescriber cannot review or amend any medication for a patient outside of the UK, but the prescriber remains responsible for the prescriptions they sign and must be prepared to explain any decisions made when prescribing and monitoring. Any patient we are made aware of being out of the country for over 3 months will be removed from our practice list, but can re-register once they are back in the country.
GPs are not required by their Terms of Service to provide prescriptions for the treatment of a condition that is not present and may arise while the patient is abroad. Persons who have left the UK, or who are intending to leave the UK, for more than 3 months are not normally allowed to continue to be registered with a practice.
The NHS accepts responsibility for supplying ongoing medication for temporary periods abroad of up to 3 months. The practice will supply medication for a maximum of 3 months for this purpose. If a person is going to be abroad for more than three months then all that the patient is entitled to at NHS expense is a sufficient supply of his/her regular medication in order to get to their destination, where they should then find an alternative supply of that medication.
Travellers should check the regulations on importing or transporting medicines to their chosen destination by contacting the relevant embassy or high commission, or by checking the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) country advice.
Travellers who are taking certain ‘controlled drugs’ may be required to obtain an export licence prior to transporting set quantities (usually three months’ or more supply) into or out of the UK. The application should be made at least 10 days prior to travel. Some examples of controlled drugs include: diamorphine, diazepam, codeine, fentanyl, methadone, morphine, pethidine, Ritalin and temazepam. Further information on the drugs requiring an export license, as well as application forms can be found on the GOV.UK website. Those carrying controlled drugs and other prescription drugs on shorter trips are advised by the Home Office to obtain and carry a letter from the GP or prescriber detailing the medicines.
For more information on taking medicine abroad: NHS Choices
Page last reviewed: 22 June 2026
Page created: 10 February 2022
Page created: 10 February 2022