InterHealth
Supporting Missionaries & Short-term teams
How confident are you that your volunteers are ready to face their 
overseas mission trip?
- Do they really know which jabs, medicines and travel supplies they'll need?
- Do they have a medical condition that could flare up in an overseas environment?
- Who will they turn to for advice, if the nearest medical facility is miles away?
- How will they make sure they haven’t picked up any nasties during their trip?
- Do they know the basics of how to keep healthy in a resource-poor environment?
Volunteer Health Screening
InterHealth provides health screening to thousands of short-term volunteers each year, including church groups on short-term mission trips and individual gap-year travellers.
A paper-based health screening is a quick, cost effective and reassuring way of ensuring that volunteers are in a fit state of health before they depart on their overseas assignment. Having assessed the volunteer’s health form, the InterHealth doctor will determine whether they are fit to travel. Furthermore, the screening enables any pre-existing conditions such as asthma, severe allergies, diabetes, high blood pressure or a history of depression to be identified and properly managed in an overseas context.
Our aim is to empower volunteers in their placements and to inform team leaders, providing them with the healthcare support they need for their placement. We will provide them with necessary health advice to manage a health condition in an overseas environment. If needs be, more serious health concerns can be followed up with a face-to-face appointment with their GP or at InterHealth. Ensuring that team leaders are aware of a volunteer’s health status – for instance epilepsy – can reduce the risk of an emergency occurring during the placement. Email us for further information. Discounts are available to travelwellplan subscribers.
Travel Health Consultation
InterHealth’s Travel Health Clinic is staffed by nurses whose wealth of experience in travel health provides reassurance that your volunteers have received suitable travel health advice as they prepare for their adventure. In an unhurried 30 minute consultation, the specific circumstances surrounding the volunteer’s trip will be taken into account - including personal medical circumstances, length and destination of trip, type of work being undertaken. The nurse will then provide an immunisation plan, which can be started at the same time. The nurse will recommend appropriate antimalarials or other medications and travel supplies.
The Travel Health Consultation is a complimentary service for travelwellplan subscribers.
Please note that any immunisations, antimalarials or travel supplies that are deemed necessary as a result of the consultation will incur a charge.
Travel Supplies
The InterHealth Travel Supplies Centre stocks a wide range of specialist travel health products which are available to all travellers. We provide a personal service, which considers the particular nature of the traveller’s assignment.
We can supply your volunteers with health kits, malaria prevention tablets, mosquito nets, insect repellent and medicines that they may require for your trip. Orders can be received by post, fax, phone or e-mail (restrictions on Prescription Medicines apply) and can be sent by post or collected in person. Discounts are available to travelwellplan subscribers.
Visit our Travel Supplies homepage.
Returning home
In our paper-based Clean Bill of Health programme, an InterHealth doctor will determine whether it is likely that the returning traveller is at risk from any travel-related health concerns which require attention, or whether they are ‘all clear’. It may also bring to light any effects from traumatic events which where witnessed in the field which may need further follow-up with one of our qualified psychological health practitioners in a confidential debrief. Discounts are available to travelwellplan subscribers.
We hope that all of your volunteers will have a positive 
experience overseas, but it may be that their time abroad leads them into unexpected situations which might include a critical incident or witnessing a distressing situation. InterHealth’s specialises in Trauma Management Services including the Personal Impact Review and Trauma-Focussed Psychological Therapy - specifically designed to support anyone who has been subject to trauma during their time abroad.
Find out more about our Trauma Management Services.
“The members of this summer’s overseas mission team looked like a healthy bunch – but it’s always best to make sure! With limited access to health facilities, we didn’t want any nasty health scares to surprise us on our 2 week trip to
Short-Term Mission Trip Leader, All Saints, Lindfield
How to book
Support your church leaders and volunteers by making them aware of these healthcare services.
For further information about the way InterHealth could support your ministry or to book an appointment, please email us or phone us on 020 7902 9015.
© InterHealth 2008 InterHealth Worldwide, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales.
Registered company number 4986035. Registered charity number 1103935.
Office Address:
111 Westminster Bridge Road
London
SE1 7HR