Health checks your staff require for work travel

What health checks do staff need before business travel?

Employees travelling for work must meet specific health requirements to ensure both personal safety and employer compliance. These checks depend on the destination, nature of the assignment, individual health factors, and how far in advance the trip is planned. This guide sets out what UK-based HR teams should arrange to meet their travel duty-of-care responsibilities. Use this employer travel health checklist to prepare staff safely and in compliance.

Quick checklist for busy managers

Travel Health Prep Checklist

1. Destination risks: Review the medical advice for the destination using TravelHealthPro.
2. Pre-travel risk assessment: Complete and approve the assessment before confirming bookings.
3. Lead time: Schedule travel health appointments no later than 6 to 8 weeks before departure.
4. Fit-to-travel check: Book an assessment for employees who are pregnant, have chronic conditions, or have recently been unwell.
5. Vaccinations and malaria: Confirm which immunisations and antimalarial medications are needed for the destination.
6. Medication: Verify that prescriptions are valid and accompanied by relevant documentation.
7. Payment responsibility: Check whether travel health costs will be covered by the employer. In most cases, they are.

If travel is booked with less than 14 days’ notice, contact the provider urgently for an appointment.

Corporate support: Contact Future Care Medical to arrange a tailored corporate travel health review.

Duty of care – short policy HR can copy

UK employers have a legal and ethical obligation to protect staff who are travelling for business. This includes assessing destination-specific risks and confirming that employees are medically fit to travel.

Policy wording to adopt:

“[Organisation] requires that all work-related travel be assessed for medical risk. Travel health checks must be completed prior to travel, and relevant vaccinations and clearances obtained. Staff must inform HR of any medical conditions that could affect fitness to travel.”

This sample aligns with current HSE and ACAS guidance. Insurance providers or contract partners may also request written documentation confirming risk and health checks have taken place.

Pre-travel risk assessment – who, what, when

A pre-travel risk assessment confirms that staff are medically prepared and that any destination-specific health risks have been considered. This employee travel risk assessment also helps HR meet duty-of-care obligations and supports decision-making if issues arise later.

It should include:

1. Health risks related to the travel location (based on TravelHealthPro and NHS guidance)
2. The employee’s planned duties while away
3. Existing medical conditions, medications, and vaccination history

Who completes it:

1. A qualified occupational health professional or travel clinician, such as those from a CQC-registered provider

Suggested questions for travel approval forms:

1. What are the travel dates and destination?
2. What type of work will be carried out during the trip?
3. Does the employee have any current health conditions?
4. What prescribed medicines will they be travelling with?
5. Have they had any previous travel-related health issues?
6. What is their up-to-date vaccination status?

These answers help determine which vaccines, travel prescriptions, or fit-to-fly certificates may be required.

Essential checks: vaccines, malaria, medications, fit-to-travel

Common travel vaccinations include:

• Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever, where indicated in the NHS or TravelHealthPro country-specific guidance
• Flu, MMR, and Meningitis boosters depending on the employee’s job role and destination

Malaria prevention:

• Required for countries identified on TravelHealthPro as malaria-risk areas
• Antimalarial medication must be prescribed and started prior to travel

Medication continuity:

• All prescription medication should be carried with supporting documentation such as a doctor’s letter
• Controlled drugs may require additional documentation based on Home Office and international travel laws

Fit-to-travel assessments:

• Recommended when the employee is pregnant, recently hospitalised, or has a complex chronic condition. A fit-to-fly certificate may also be requested by airlines (refer to CAA/IATA guidelines)

Timeline reference:

Short-notice travel protocol (under 6 to 8 weeks)

When travel is arranged on short notice, follow a fast-track health preparation process.

Recommended actions:

1. Phone the provider immediately to request an urgent appointment.
2. Ask whether accelerated vaccination schedules are available (not all vaccines can be fast-tracked).
3. If vaccinations cannot be completed in time, consider using PPE or offering remote options where feasible.
4. Reassign the trip if medical risks cannot be adequately managed.

Manager email template

Sector callouts – short notes for high-risk roles

Healthcare professionals

• Require Hepatitis B and TB screening based on occupational exposure guidance from NHS Employers
• Must comply with PPE and infection control protocols in the destination country

Construction and engineering workers

• Should have a valid tetanus booster
• Must carry first aid kits and review environmental health risks relevant to the project location

Expat and long-duration assignments

• Should be fully up to date with UK immunisation schedule
• Need a local healthcare access plan including prescriptions and clinic options

Frequent business travellers

• Should have an annual occupational health check
• Must maintain a current immunisation record to avoid delays

How Future Care Medical supports each step and CTA

Future Care Medical (FCM) supports employers with a complete suite of business travel health services and is compliant with relevant UK health and data standards.

Services provided:

1. Clinician-led travel risk assessments based on national guidance
2. Vaccination clinics (onsite or in-clinic)
3. Fit-to-travel and fit-to-fly documentation, aligned with CAA and NHS expectations
4. Rapid access appointments for urgent travel

How to book:

1. Submit an enquiry by phone or email
2. Hold a planning call with the FCM team
3. Receive services and documentation to support travel readiness

Why choose FCM:

• Nationwide clinic network
• Fully GDPR-compliant systems
• Trusted corporate travel health provider for government and private clients

Next steps:

Book a corporate travel health review – 3 steps

Contact Future Care Medical by phone or email to begin. Quotes available on request.

Appendix – authoritative links and quick references

Further reading:

• TravelHealthPro – Public Health England country-by-country travel advice
• GOV.UK travel health – Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
• Green Book – immunisation – Official vaccine guidance for the UK
• CAA fitness to fly guidance – Civil Aviation Authority advice on medical travel
• ICO – Health data GDPR – UK data protection compliance guidance