My CityDoc Appointment Was Cancelled. What Do I Do Now?
You booked your CityDoc appointment weeks ago. Then the email arrived. Or you turned up and the clinic was dark. Or you are halfway through a rabies course with a flight in three weeks and suddenly have nowhere to go.
You are not the only one. CityDoc served over 70,000 patients across 150 locations before permanently closing all sites in February 2026. In Essex alone, that means thousands of travellers are now scrambling to find an alternative before their trip. Icon Travel Clinic in Chigwell is an NaTHNaC-approved yellow fever centre accepting all former CityDoc patients, with same-day appointments and all vaccines in stock.
Quick answers to the questions we hear every day
"My CityDoc appointment was cancelled. My flight is in four weeks."
This is the situation we are hearing most. The short answer: four weeks is enough time for most vaccines. Book this week, not next week.
Most travel vaccines provide meaningful protection from the first dose within 14 days. A single hepatitis A dose gives around 95% protection. Typhoid works within 2 to 3 weeks. Yellow fever reaches full protection in 10 days and lasts for life.
The vaccines that need more time are the multi-dose courses: hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis. If you were not already partway through one of those, the urgency level drops considerably.
If your trip is in four weeks or less, here is the order of priority when you come in. First, yellow fever if your destination or transit country requires it, since your certificate becomes valid exactly 10 days after the jab. Second, any single-dose vaccines for your destination including hepatitis A, typhoid, meningitis ACWY and tetanus. Third, antimalarials, which need to be started before you leave and continued during and after travel. We go through all of this in your consultation with no separate charge. Book your appointment at Icon Travel Clinic and bring your travel dates.
"I was halfway through my CityDoc vaccine course. Do I have to start again?"
No. This is one of the most common fears and it is almost always unfounded.
If you were partway through a hepatitis B, rabies or Japanese encephalitis course at CityDoc, you do not need to restart from the beginning. Vaccine courses are tied to timing intervals, not to the clinic that started them. Any qualified travel health provider can pick up where CityDoc left off.
Bring whatever you have: your yellow vaccination card, a CityDoc email confirmation showing which dose you received and the date, or even a photo on your phone of a booking confirmation. If you have none of these, come anyway. We can work backwards from the date of your first appointment to figure out where in the course you are and what comes next. For hepatitis B an accelerated schedule covering 0, 7 and 21 days is available if your trip is soon. For rabies, an accelerated pre-exposure course can be completed with as little as 7 days between doses. Book a consultation at Icon Travel Clinic and we will find the option that fits your timeline.
"I need a yellow fever certificate and I am flying next month."
Yellow fever is the one vaccine that cannot be improvised. It is only available at NaTHNaC-approved centres, and the ICVP certificate (the official yellow card) is a legal entry requirement for over 40 countries. It is also required for transit through several others even if you are not visiting them.
The certificate does not activate immediately. It becomes valid 10 days after your vaccination, so if you are flying in less than 10 days, you need to act today. The vaccine itself provides lifelong protection, so you will never need it again. If you had it at CityDoc years ago and still have your old certificate, that certificate remains valid regardless of CityDoc's closure.
Icon Travel Clinic is one of the few NaTHNaC-approved yellow fever centres in Essex. We administer the vaccine and issue your ICVP certificate on the same day. You can book your yellow fever appointment here.
"I cannot find my old CityDoc vaccination records."
This is a genuine worry for people who relied on CityDoc to hold their history over several years.
Start with your email inbox. Search for "CityDoc" and "booking confirmation" and you should find confirmations showing the vaccine name and appointment date. Check your paper yellow card if you kept one, since every vaccine administered should have been logged there. Your GP surgery may also hold a record of any travel vaccines that were shared with them, so a quick call is worth it.
If you have none of these, come to us anyway. During your travel consultation at Icon Travel Clinic we will assess what vaccines you are likely to still be covered for based on your travel history and the standard duration of protection for each vaccine. For most vaccines, if you cannot prove it, we treat it as overdue rather than complete. That is the safest approach for you.
"Are there any travel clinics near Loughton now that CityDoc has closed?"
CityDoc Loughton was one of the most used in-pharmacy travel clinics in Essex. It closed along with all other CityDoc sites at the end of February 2026.
Icon Travel Clinic in Chigwell is less than 10 minutes from Loughton by car via the A113, serving Loughton, Buckhurst Hill, Woodford, Hainault, Epping, Chingford, Waltham Abbey and the wider M11 corridor. We are based at Brook House Pharmacy, 155 Manford Way, Chigwell, Essex IG7 4DN with free parking on site. See directions and book your appointment here.
"Are there any travel clinics near Brentwood now that CityDoc has closed?"
CityDoc Brentwood at Ongar Road Pharmacy was one of the most convenient Essex sites for patients travelling from Brentwood, Romford, Ilford and the A12 corridor. It is now permanently closed.
Icon Travel Clinic in Chigwell is accessible from Brentwood via the A128 and A113, typically around 20 to 25 minutes by car. Every vaccine that was available at CityDoc Brentwood is available here, including yellow fever. Book an appointment online or call us to check same-day availability.
"I am flying in two weeks. Which vaccines can I still get?"
Two weeks is tight but far from hopeless.
Yellow fever is still achievable if you book within the next two to three days, since the certificate needs 10 days to become valid. Hepatitis A gives strong protection within two weeks and is recommended for most destinations across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The injectable typhoid vaccine provides protection within two weeks and is important for South Asia, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Tetanus and DTP boosters take effect quickly if you are overdue one. Meningitis ACWY is a single dose and important for Hajj and Umrah travel, sub-Saharan Africa and certain student destinations. Antimalarials need to be started before you leave, with timing depending on which tablet is prescribed, so book your consultation this week to make sure there is no gap in cover.
For hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis, accelerated schedules exist and even partial coverage is better than none for high-risk destinations. See the full list of vaccines available at Icon Travel Clinic and we will advise on the best option for your timeline at your appointment.
Why patients are choosing Icon Travel Clinic
We are not a pop-up service or a temporary replacement. Icon Travel Clinic has been operating as a dedicated travel health centre within Brook House Pharmacy in Chigwell since before CityDoc's closure. We are NaTHNaC-approved, GPhC-registered, and we hold all vaccines in stock.
As one of a limited number of NaTHNaC-approved yellow fever centres in Essex, we administer the vaccine and issue your ICVP certificate on the same day. Brook House Pharmacy is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, which means you are seen by a regulated clinical professional, not an ad-hoc service. The consultation is included in the price with no separate charge, and you can see exactly what each vaccine costs on our full pricing page. Same-day and next-day appointments are available. If your situation is urgent, call us directly and we will do everything we can to see you the same day.
FAQs
Can I get antimalarials without going to a GP?
Yes. We can prescribe and dispense antimalarials as part of your travel health consultation at no separate charge. You do not need a GP referral or a separate prescription.
My CityDoc yellow fever certificate is from 2019. Is it still valid?
Yes. Under revised WHO rules, all yellow fever certificates are now recognised as providing lifetime protection. Any valid ICVP you hold remains valid regardless of CityDoc's closure.
My child had their first dose at CityDoc. Can they continue their course here?
Yes. Bring their red book or any vaccination records you have. We see children and families and can continue any course started elsewhere.
Do I need to tell my GP I am getting travel vaccines privately?
It is good practice but not required. We recommend bringing your vaccination record to any future GP appointment so your health records stay up to date.
Icon Travel Clinic is at 155 Manford Way, Chigwell, Essex IG7 4DN. If you are a former CityDoc patient in Essex and need to book quickly, the fastest way is to book directly online. If you have questions about your specific situation before booking, contact us and we will point you in the right direction.
