Travel vaccinations at your Burntwood pharmacy — no GP appointment needed

Ideally 6 to 8 weeks before you travel. That leaves time for courses that need more than one dose and for your body to respond before you fly. If your trip is sooner than that, still come. Several vaccines can be given closer to departure, some courses have accelerated schedules, and starting something is usually better than starting nothing. The pharmacist will be straight with you about what can and can't be finished in time.

No. Yellow fever vaccine can only be given at a centre designated for it, and Burntwood Clinic is not a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre — so we can't give the vaccine or issue an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP). What we can do is check whether your route actually needs it, tell you what the entry rules look like, and point you to your nearest designated centre. The closest to Burntwood is Touchwood Pharmacy at Greenhill Health Centre, Lichfield WS13 6JL. You can also search the official NaTHNaC register of designated centres by postcode.

Neither. Anyone can book a travel appointment with us — you don't need to be a pharmacy customer, you don't need to be registered, and you don't need a referral or a GP appointment first. Some travel vaccines are available free on the NHS through GP surgeries. If something you need is one of those, we'll tell you, so you can decide what suits you.

Yes. The travel health risk assessment with the pharmacist is free, and there's no obligation to have anything afterwards. You only pay for the vaccines you choose to have, at a price confirmed with you before anything is given. If the assessment finds you don't need anything for your trip, you pay nothing.

Usually, yes — the assessment and any vaccines that are clinically appropriate can normally happen in the same appointment, subject to stock. Some vaccines are a course of two or three doses spread over weeks, so those need follow-up appointments. We'll plan the dates with you before you leave.

Malaria risk is part of every travel assessment. We'll look at your exact route, the time of year and what you'll be doing, and go through how to reduce bites — repellent, covering up, nets and timing. Antimalarial tablets are Prescription Only Medicines. Whether they're appropriate for you, and which option suits your route and your health, is decided at the consultation with the prescriber — not picked off a list.

Yes, we see families travelling together and will try to put you in the same appointment slot. Suitability and minimum ages differ from vaccine to vaccine, so tell us everyone's ages when you book and bring any childhood vaccination records you have. Children must be accompanied by a parent or someone with parental responsibility.

You'll get a record of what you've had, the dates, and when any further doses are due, plus a certificate where a vaccine requires one — for example meningitis ACWY for Hajj and Umrah. If you've lost your old records, bring whatever you do have. Where there's no record, a vaccine is generally treated as not given, and the pharmacist will talk you through the options.