Employment Opportunities at Healthlink360
Wanted- Part-time Travel/Occupational Health Nurse
Healthlink360 is a health charity providing medical, psychological and travel health care for those working overseas and in the UK. Our clients consist of mission and voluntary workers, those in Faith Leadership, businesses and members of the general public. We have an established medical, nursing and psychological team delivering the clinical work and, with a supportive and enthusiastic administration team are committed to delivering a high standard of care to our clients. Our team is a mix of paid staff and volunteers.
We are now looking for a nurse, ideally with travel/occupational or practice nursing experience for 12-15 hours per week. Overseas experience is also valuable. Good communication skills are essential as is the ability to use initiative and to work in a team with an attitude of service and flexibility. If you long for the opportunity to work in an environment where you can give more time to clients this may be for you.
Working days and hours can be negotiated but will be no more than 15 hours per week.
We are situated in the beautiful grounds of Carberry Tower just outside Musselburgh so your own transport is necessary.
The starting salary is a band 6
If interested please contact us or e mail your cv to:
jhughes@healthlink360.org (General Manager/Travel Nurse Specialist) or
cghunter@healthlink360.org (Leader of Psychological Services)
Northern Ireland Connections
The prospect of delivering the full range of HL360 services in Northern Ireland has been on the horizon for some time now.
In June 2011 we were offered an opportunity to conduct a ‘live trial’ to test the logistics of providing HL360 services on location in Northern Ireland. This opportunity would involve delivering medicals and ‘debriefs’ to a family whose timescale did not allow them to travel to Scotland and also to a couple.
Many things had to occur to bring this opportunity to fruition including much networking, prayer and hard work.
Amazingly we have been able to source:
- a number of doctors keen to give of their time and skills and to work to HL360 standards and protocols delivering the medical elements of our services
- premises in which to offer psychological services
- a travel clinic willing to work with us in providing travel health care and vaccinations
- many volunteers willing to help and support us
Here is a brief history of what has happened this year
March 2011- Joy Gowdy(counsellor) represents HL360 at the Trauma and Spirituality International Conference in Belfast
May 2011- Presentation to the Mission Agency Partnership in Belfast
July 2011 – First debriefs delivered in Northern Ireland for a mission family and a couple
September 2011 – Dr Mike Jones provides an induction for interested medical personnel in Bangor, Northern Ireland
September 2011 – Judy Hughes (General Manager) visits our supporting travel clinic in Belfast and explores links with Belfast Bible College
September 2011 – First psychological assessment conducted in Northern Ireland
October 2011 – first medicals for HL360 delivered in Northern Ireland
November 2011 – Joy attends Stress in the Ministry seminar in Belfast
So what happens next?
We are still some way from having a permanent base in Northern Ireland and much has to be considered but it is our hope and vision from small beginnings to be able to expand to provide continuing services in Northern Ireland which will enhance the health and wellbeing of those engaged in mission, voluntary services and Faith Leadership
…….watch this space!
Recent Appointments
Congratulations go to Dr Mike Jones on his appointment as Dean Elect of the Faculty of Travel Medicine at the Royal College of Physiciens and Surgeons in Glasgow. Mike and his wife Elizabeth are the co-founders of Healthlink360 which they first established as Care For Mission over 25 years ago.
Mike will serve as Dean for a 3 year period. He has also been elected onto the Psychological Health of Travellers Interest Group.
Research News in the World of Travel Medicine
Malaria Vaccine progress
GSK has been developing a malaria vaccine for a long time based on circumsporozoite (CS) antigen. Sporazoites are the invasive stage of the malaria parasite injected in saliva by mosquitoes. Irradiated Sporazoites reliably produce immunity. CS antigen on its own does not produce immunity but works quite well when bolted onto the Hepatits B genetically engineered vaccine molecule. Trials are now into phase 3 and have just been reported. (1) Researchers report that efficacy is about 50% and slightly lower for the prevention of severe malaria. Three doses are given at one month intervals with a booster at 18 months. This would provide a significant reduction in the malaria burden in highly endemic parts of the world but will never be used in travellers at this level of efficacy. Anti-malaria prophylaxis (preventative tablets) achieves efficacy of at least 90% when taken properly.
Imported Rabies
An extensive review of 42 deaths over 20 years from 1990-2000 from imported rabies in Europe, USA and Japan has just appeared. 95% acquired their infection from a dog or puppy, 19 involving travel to Asia, 14 to Africa and 8 to the Americas. Of the 29 victims for whom information about post-exposure prophylaxis was recorded, 12 did not seek medical attention and 6 had ineffective care because of lack of supplies or knowledge.
Compared to road traffic accidents these are small numbers but all would have been prevented by pre-exposure vaccination and appropriate post-exposure care. Pre-travel vaccine removes the need for immunoglobulin treatment (which can be difficult or impossible to source, particularly in developing countries), reduces the number of post-exposure vaccine doses and reduces the risk of contracting rabies (2)
The RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership, ‘First results of Phase 3 Trial of RTS,S/ASO1 malaria vaccine in African children’ New Eng J med 2011; 365: 1863-75
Malenczyk C, De Tora L, Gniel D ‘Imported rabies cases in Europe, the United States and Japan 1990-2000’ J Trav Med 2011; 18: 402-7
