A travel assessment and consultation must be given to a patient at least 6 weeks before travelling. This allows for vaccinations to be effective and if multiple dose schedules are required there is time for them to be administered.
The General Practice Nurse (GPN)/Clinician should have completed a two day travel course and have signed competencies in practice before giving any advice or vaccines independently.
Travel assessments consider all the risks involved in travel for the patient and they should be consulted on the options available. This includes medication requirements, underlying conditions, insurance, sexual health, personal safety, personal care and sunscreen, malaria risk and medication if required, worldwide threats and outbreaks and finally vaccination. A patient should already be up to date with the routine schedule, if not, this would also need to be included in the assessment.
Training
Liverpool School of tropical Medicine Online courses | LSTM (lstmed.ac.uk)
New starters travel vaccination online – Introduction to Travel Health – Jane Chiodini
Clinician Specific Information
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) competencies for travel consultations RCN Travel Health Nursing: career and competence development | Publications | Royal College of Nursing
Good Practice Guidance for providing a travel health service Good Practice guidence Travel
Competency Tool for Practitioners Competency Tool for Travel Medicine Practitioners
Rapid vaccination courses and short notice vaccinations – NICE guidelines Rapid vaccination courses and vaccination at short notice
Interrupted Vaccination Schedules: General Principles – NaTHNaC NaTHNaC – Interrupted vaccination schedules: general principles
Chart of Vaccine preventable disease in multiple languages Quick Chart of Vaccine-Preventable Disease Terms in Multiple Languages
NICE Guidelines Immunisation – Travel Immunizations – travel | Health topics A to Z | CKS | NICE
History of vaccination WHO History of Vaccination
Global Hazards Get emails from GOV.UK
UK Health Security Agency UK Health Security Agency
Clinician and patient information Valneva UK – Advancing vaccines for better lives
Resources from Valneva vaccination company Support your patients and clinic with these healthcare resources. (valneva.co.uk)
Providing a Travel Health Service in Primary Care
What does it involve and what must you consider Guidance and help
Advice for GPs and LMCs on the regulations for travel immunisations and medications – some must always be given with no fee, some cannot, and some can be given as either an NHS or private service.Travel medication and vaccinations
Travel Consultation protocol – Jane Chiodini Travel Consultation Protocol
Destination Advice and Information
Fit for Travel Home – Fit for Travel
Advice for any restrictions to travel as per country, including global hazard or war. Foreign travel advice – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Nathnac- Advice Line for health professionals (020 7383 7474). Newsletter available to sign up to. NaTHNaC – Home
TRAVAX – paid for site Home – TRAVAX
Jane Chiodini specialist travel nurse. A website full of resources Jane Chiodini – Travel Health Specialist Nurse
Travel tools for assessment. Management and guides to print Tools – Jane Chiodini
UK Malaria Guidelines Malaria prevention guidelines for travellers from the UK
Yellow Fever Zone – NaTHNaC YELLOW FEVER ZONE
HIV & AIDS information for travel NaTHNaC – HIV and AIDS
Hajj & Umrah NaTHNaC – Hajj and Umrah
NaTHNaC Factsheets NaTHNaC – Factsheets
FGM Safeguarding Pathway/Mandatory Reporting
Safeguarding women and girls at risk of FGM – GOV.UK
FGM: mandatory reporting in healthcare – GOV.UK
FGM RCN resources Female Genital Mutilation | Publications | Royal College of Nursing
Travel Vaccines and Illnesses Explained
See the links below for information on the common diseases and vaccines given for travel. Refer to the green book here for further information and don’t forget your Patient Group Directions (PGDs) and Patient Specific Directions (PSD) if giving off licence.
Hepatitis A Information Hepatitis A – Fit for Travel
Meningitis ACWY Information Meningococcal Meningitis – Fit for Travel
Hepatitis B – check for charges in practice NaTHNaC – Hepatitis B
Typhoid and Paratyphoid NaTHNaC – Typhoid and paratyphoid
Tetanus NaTHNaC – Tetanus
Diptheria Diphtheria – Fit for Travel
Pertussis NaTHNaC – Pertussis
Measles NaTHNaC – Measles
Monkey Pox NaTHNaC – Mpox
Cholera Cholera – Fit for Travel
Yellow Fever – Chargeable must be a yellow vaccine centre Yellow Fever Vaccine – Fit for Travel
Tuberculosis – specialist consideration only – Private Tuberculosis – Fit for Travel
Patient Information Resources
Patients NHS guidance for travel vaccines
Travel vaccinations – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Travel vaccinations – Available vaccines – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Travel abroad Gov.UK advice pages
Travel abroad – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)