"Travel vaccinations"

I received very poor service from my G.P Medical Practice regarding travel vaccinations and advice. I contacted the GP practice 8 weeks before travelling on holiday. I was told by the receptionist to come in and fill out a form at the reception 6 weeks before. I did that but after completing the travel form, I was informed that by the time the nurse seen me the following week it would be 5 weeks and she would not see anyone travelling under 6 weeks.

Other people travelling in my party were seen by their own medical practice at 4 weeks. I called the surgery to ask if they would provide vaccinations for me as there was no clinical guideline re: 6 weeks and I would prefer partial immunity rather than no immunity. I was still advised the nurse would not see me.

I booked into a private travel clinic 4 weeks before travelling and the nurse told me the vaccinations I needed would be active within that time frame. They also provided me with excellent education on prevention of other travel diseases, essentials to take with me and what to do if I became unwell with a suspected travel related illness.

This is the type of service I expected from my nurse practitioner, even if the vaccination was not advisable in such a short time scale, then advise would have been greatly appreciated. I paid £116 at the private clinic and it was money well spend.

I think this is a perfect example of poor person centred care from my Mecical Practice. I will be sending you a formal letter of complaint and looking to join another GP practise which has a more flexible approach to patient care.