Bringing health to the auction ring: supporting farmers where they are

This year, the Living Well team from North Yorkshire Council and a group of GP practices under Selby Town Primary Care Network ran a new health and wellbeing drop-in event at Selby Livestock Auction Mart. 

The session brought support directly to a place where farmers and rural workers naturally gather.

It was shaped by findings from Healthwatch North Yorkshire’s Ploughing Through Barriers Ploughing Through Barriers report, which highlighted the practical, cultural and emotional barriers that can prevent farmers from seeking help and accessing healthcare.

It was also inspired by successful models such as the Field Nurse charity and Lincolnshire Rural Support Network’s mobile health hut, which take health checks and advice directly into farming communities.

On the day

The team set up in the café area of the auction mart, offering:

• Free blood pressure checks
• Information and advice about health and social care services
• Information about healthy eating, stopping smoking, support for carers and the Living Well service

Despite the Lincolnshire Show taking place on the same day, 29 people spoke with the team. Most were farmers attending the mart to buy or sell livestock.

What we found

Of the 29 people who spoke with the team, 15 had blood pressure readings that needed further investigation.

One person had a dangerously high reading and was advised to seek urgent medical help.

Others said they had stopped taking or monitoring medication and planned to speak to their GP as a result of the conversation.

Most of the people the team spoke with were older men, some of whom said they had not accessed health support for years.

Some remembered nurses previously attending the mart and welcomed having health support available there again. Others said this kind of face-to-face support was particularly useful for farmers who struggle to find time to attend appointments.

Building trust and starting conversations

Support from the auction mart chaplain played an important part in helping the team connect with people.

Her established relationships within the farming community helped introduce people to the team and provided useful insight into some of the barriers farmers can face.

She explained that terms such as ‘mental health’ may discourage some people from engaging, while an informal conversation alongside something practical, such as a blood pressure check, can provide a more natural opportunity to talk.

She also highlighted the experiences of carers within farming families. People may be running a farm while also caring for a partner, parent or child with long-term health needs, without necessarily thinking of themselves as a carer or seeking support.

The chaplain also highlighted the wider pressures facing farmers and the importance of offering support in ways that feel familiar and accessible.

She offered to support future visits and help share information within the farming community.

Learning from elsewhere

The Selby session followed approaches already being used to improve access to healthcare in other rural areas.

The Field Nurse charity provides drop-in health support at livestock marts, including Skipton and Bentham in North Yorkshire. Nurses offer informal advice, health checks and an opportunity to talk confidentially without needing an appointment.

Lincolnshire Rural Support Network’s mobile health hut also visits agricultural shows and marts, offering checks such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar alongside health and wellbeing advice.

These approaches show how taking support into familiar farming environments can create opportunities for people to talk about their health and identify issues earlier.

What we learned

The Selby visit highlighted several things:

• Farmers are open to health support, but it needs to fit around their working lives and routines.
• Some face difficulties accessing follow-up care, particularly when working long hours or living outside the local area.
• There was interest in a wider range of health checks, not just blood pressure.
• A regular presence in a familiar setting could help build trust and encourage more people to engage over time.

Ideas for the future

At the time of the visit, several ideas were identified for developing this approach further.

These included returning to Selby Livestock Auction Mart, exploring opportunities at other marts across North Yorkshire and finding simple ways for people to access follow-up support.

There was also interest in offering a wider range of checks, such as cholesterol and blood glucose testing, and continuing to work with the auction mart chaplain to help people feel comfortable approaching the service.

These were ideas for further development rather than confirmed services.

A promising start

The Selby session showed the potential of taking health and care support directly into farming communities.

29 people spoke with the team. 15 were advised that their blood pressure readings needed further investigation and one person was advised to seek urgent medical attention.

It also provided valuable insight into how services can reach people who may otherwise find it difficult to access support.

The session is one example of how organisations across North Yorkshire have responded to what farmers told us through Ploughing Through Barriers.