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Changes to Travel Health Service Provision in Scotland

04 April 2022

On 01 April 2022, the process to access travel health services in Scotland changed:

  • fitfortravel.nhs.uk is now the national entry point for travellers seeking to access the free travel advice and vaccines provided by NHS Scotland

Background

In April 2018, Scotland began its national Vaccination Transformation Programme (VTP) which aimed to move the established immunisation delivery models based in General Practice to new delivery models led by NHS Health Boards.

Scottish Government has led the VTP, this has driven the redesign of all national routine immunisation programmes and the delivery of travel health advice and vaccines.

The Scottish Chief Medical Officer Directorate has published detailed information on the rollout of the VTP:

What does this mean for Scottish Health boards?

Scottish Health Boards are now responsible for local travel health service provision and the new delivery models must adhere to the minimum standards set out in the Good Practice Guidance for Providing a Travel Health Service document published by the Faculty of Travel Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. 

The new service delivery models must include:

  1. travel health risk assessment
  2. provision of the free NHS travel vaccines
  3. when required, signposting the traveller to local services where they can obtain private travel vaccines and/or a prescription for malaria chemoprophylaxis

Which NHS travel vaccines are free?

The following travel vaccines should be provided free through NHS Scotland:

  • diphtheria, polio and tetanus (combined booster)
  • hepatitis A and typhoid (combined booster)
  • hepatitis A
  • typhoid
  • cholera

What do travellers need to do if they are travelling abroad?

Travellers should first review the fitfortravel country page for their planned destination(s) to find information on:

  • advisable vaccines and malaria risks for that country
  • other measures they may need to take to avoid health risks in that country

If a traveller thinks they may need travel vaccines, malaria advice and/or chemoprophylaxis, they should arrange to an appointment for a travel health risk assessment, ideally 6-8 weeks before their departure, but it is never too late to seek advice.

Travellers should arrange an appointment through their local Health Board.

Alternatively, travellers may opt to access private sector travel health service provision.  

What happens if a traveller cannot access the fitfortravel website?

If a traveller is unable to access fitfortravel.nhs.uk for whatever reason, they can call the NHS inform helpline for information on local travel health service provision.

The NHS inform call handler will not provide the traveller with a travel health risk assessment but can guide them through fitfortravel.nhs.uk content and advise how to access travel health services in their local Health Board.

  • the NHS inform helpline number is 0800 22 44 88 and it is available 7 days a week from 8.00am to 8.00pm

What happens for travellers living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland?

The VTP only affects travellers living in Scotland.

Those living in the rest of the UK should continue to follow their current method of seeking travel health advice via their General Practice or via a private travel clinic.