When healthcare meets the farm gate

Farmers told us that long hours, isolation and the way care is set up can make it hard to look after their health. Because of what you shared, new ways of bringing support closer to farming communities are now being tested across North Yorkshire.

Farmers play a vital role in rural communities, yet many face real barriers when trying to get help when they need it.

Last year, Healthwatch North Yorkshire spoke with farmers, farming families and organisations across the county to better understand these challenges. People told us about long working hours, travel distances, the difficulty of attending appointments during busy periods, and how stigma can make it harder to ask for help.

We brought these experiences together in our report Ploughing through barriers. That feedback is now helping shape practical changes across North Yorkshire.

You can also view a short infographic summarising the impact of this work.

Bringing healthcare closer to farming communities

Farmers told us that getting to appointments is not always straightforward. Early starts, long days and seasonal pressures mean that travelling to appointments or fitting them into the working day can be difficult.

In response, organisations have started to take support into the places farmers already go.

For example, the Selby Living Well team from North Yorkshire Council attended Selby auction mart to speak with farmers about health and wellbeing. Around 30 people spoke with the team, and one person was advised to seek urgent medical help after a very high blood pressure reading was identified.

Groups of GP practices working together across North Yorkshire have also begun taking support into rural communities. The North Riding Primary Care Network has developed a rural health team which has attended auction marts and farming events to offer simple health checks, advice and guidance on a range of common concerns, with help to find further support if needed.

People can have simple checks, talk through concerns and be pointed to further support if needed. There is no need to book in advance, people can just come along and speak to someone.

There are also discussions about how this approach could be expanded further. This includes exploring the possibility of nurses attending auction marts more regularly and whether health spaces could be included in future rural developments, such as plans linked to a proposed livestock market near Malton.

Livestock markets often act as important meeting points for farming communities, making them a natural place to share information and offer support.

Building on this, Healthwatch North Yorkshire is now developing further work focused on supporting mental health in farming communities, taking practical support and information into places farmers already go.

Helping healthcare staff better understand farming communities

Farmers also told us that not everyone they speak to understands the realities of farming life.

To help address this, Healthwatch North Yorkshire has worked with organisations including the farming charity RABI to support training sessions for GP practice staff. These sessions focus on the pressures farmers face and how this can affect when and how people are able to seek help.

They also highlight the importance of the farming calendar, including busy periods such as lambing and harvest.

This is helping staff better understand the context people are living and working in, and how that can shape the support they offer.

Some GP practices in rural areas have also started recording whether someone works in farming or comes from a farming family. This helps them better understand their local population and consider more flexible approaches where needed.

For example, some practices in Richmondshire have contacted patients directly to ask whether they are part of the farming community so this can be recorded.

Informing wider work on rural health

What farmers told us is also helping shape wider work across North Yorkshire.

The findings are informing North Yorkshire Council’s rural health needs assessment and contributing to discussions about how health information and early support can better reach rural communities.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire has shared this work at local and regional meetings, including care partnership discussions, NHS forums and rural health events.

This means the experiences shared by farmers are being used to influence decisions beyond individual practices.

The work has also been highlighted at events such as the Great Yorkshire Show, helping bring attention to the challenges faced by rural communities.

National interest and political attention

The report has also attracted interest beyond North Yorkshire.

The findings have contributed to national discussions about rural health and wellbeing, including evidence submitted to a taskforce looking at the challenges faced by rural communities.

Members of Parliament have also taken an interest. One MP used the report to raise questions in Parliament about how care can better support farming communities.

Organisations in other areas have also drawn on the findings. For example, a farming wellbeing event in Derbyshire used the report to support discussions about improving access to care in rural communities.

A continuing conversation

Improving access to healthcare for farming communities will take time and continued working together.

However, what is already happening shows that sharing experiences can lead to practical change.

From support being offered at auction marts, to training for GP practice staff and wider awareness of rural challenges, steps are being taken to make it easier for farmers to get help.

Healthwatch North Yorkshire will continue to listen to what people tell us and share these experiences to help shape how care is planned and delivered.