Do We Need to See Patients for Travel Advice?
Travel vaccines are part of additional services of the new GMS contract.
When the new contract was introduced in 2004 a number of the individual items were automatically transferred into the global sum:
Private income for some travel vaccines
The situation with regard to travel vaccines and what can and cannot be charged for has not altered from the old to the new GMS contract. Under the Red Book a limited number of travel vaccines were provided on the NHS. This was for public health reasons. The public health agenda has not altered with the new contract and therefore those travel vaccines that were provided by practices on the NHS before the 31st March shall continue to be provided by them from 1st April. The only exception shall be for those practices that opt-out of the additional vaccinations and immunisations service and they will have their global sum abated by 2%. Practices opting out of the additional service will not be able to charge their registered patients for travel vaccines which are available on the NHS.
If, therefore, you opt out of providing this service 2% will be deducted from your global sum.
Travel immunisations that must be given as part of NHS provision though GMS Additional Services
The following immunisations for travel are part of Additional Services under GMS3 and PMS and no fee may be charged by the contractor to a patient registered for NHS services with that contractor:
- Hepatitis A [infectious hepatitis] - first and second/booster doses
- Combined hepatitis A and B - two doses with a third for over 16s
- Typhoid - first and second/booster doses
- Combined hepatitis A and typhoid - first and second/booster doses)
- Tetanus, diphtheria and polio as given in the combined Td/IPV vaccine.
