Institute of Rural Health

Press releases

Date	Title
15/11/2011	Rural Health Champion To Start 2012 In A New Base
15/11/2011	Rural Health Champion Invited To Speak To Rural MPs And Lords
29/09/2011	Primary Care Professionals Learning Together
04/05/2011	New initiatives tackling stress in Rural Wales
12/04/2011	New project aims to develop care farming in Wales
07/03/2011	Responding to a Changing World Focus For Rural Health Week

Rural Health Champion To Start 2012 In A New Base

Nov 15th, 2011

A new chapter in the success story of an organisation that champions the health and wellbeing of rural people and their communities across the UK will open when the new year begins.

The Institute of Rural Health (IRH) is moving its headquarters to St David's House, Newtown from the top floor of Gregynog, near Newtown which has been its base since the organisation was established in March 1997. The new office opens In January.

The IRH sees the move as a positive step forward. It will improve access for people and organisations, enhance networking and partnership working, build capacity and benefit form improved Information Technology. The new office also has a meeting room capable of accommodating up to 30 people.

The IRH is not cutting all ties with Gregynog, however, as the large conferences it organises will continue to be held at the Hall.

With the Duke of Westminster as its patron, the IRH is a UK-wide academic charity working to inform, develop and promote rural health and wellbeing. Its three main academic programme areas are research (contributing to the evidence base), education and training (developing a work force fit for purpose) and policy analysis, including rural proofing and dissemination of good practice.

It is a resource for rural Wales, the UK, Europe and the international community and a centre specialising in quality education, training and the use of Information Technology.

Since its formation nearly years ago the IRH has grown from one part-time worker to a core team of 12, due to the raised awareness of rural health issues it has generated across the UK.

IRH chairman Dr Peter Jones said: “The office move will support further development of the IRH’s education and training programme, which is focused on the needs of health and care service providers in Powys, rural Wales and further afield, to ensure that the rural workforce is fit for purpose. It is also especially relevant to our work in the area of health and the environment, which is a new and expanding part of our activities. In particular, the move will enable the IRH to more effectively take forward its Care Farming activities.

Jane Randall-Smith, IRH chief executive commented that: “We are all excited about the move and although the actual relocation itself will be challenging we hope to be able to welcome you to our new offices in January 2012. The new working environment, in particular the meeting room and the improved access, will be quite a change for us but anyone visiting the IRH will still be aware of the challenges of living and working in rural areas.

Underlining its important contribution to rural health and well being in the UK, the IRH has been and continues to be involved in several research and evaluation projects for the Welsh Government and the UK Government.

Rural Health Champion Invited To Speak To Rural MPs And Lords

Nov 15th, 2011

The chief executive of an organisation that champions the health and wellbeing of rural people and their communities across the UK addressed MPs and members of the House of Lords in London last week about the impact of reconfiguring hospital services.

Jane Randall-Smith, from the Institute of Rural Health (IRH) based at Gregynog, near Newtown in Mid Wales, was invited by the Rural Services Network to speak to the All Party Parliamentary Group of Rural MPs and Lords in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

She took the opportunity to speak about service drift and the impact on rural health care, focusing on the need to rural proof hospital reconfiguration policies before they are implemented.

She will tell the MPs and Lords that centralising services will impact on rural services providers as the risks associated with accessing the hospital services change and also penalise people living in rural communities by forcing them to travel further to attend hospitals at a time when fuel costs are so high.

“We all know that money is tight, but that requires services to be delivered in different ways and we must always put the needs of the patient at the centre of decision making,” she said. “We need to locate more diagnostic services and ongoing patient management locally and that must be in place before hospital services are centralised. It’s no good saying that services are only moving 20 miles away from a hospital when patients may already be travelling 30 miles.

Primary Care Professionals Learning Together

Montgomeryshire Medical Society

Sept 29th, 2011

The Annual Primary Care Conference, held during Rural Health Week, serves a valuable role in bringing rural healthcare profesionals together in a friendly learning environment from across the UK.

That’s the view of Dr Martin Green, chairman of the Montgomeryshire Medical Society (MMS), which organised a successful 22nd annual conference at Gregynog Hall, Tregynon, near Newtown in Mid Wales from September 21-23.

In excess of 100 delegates attended the popular conference, some from as far away as Cumbria, to hear speakers on subjects ranging from reducing medicines wastage in GP practices and managing the aging population to, lung cancer and sleep disorders. Following the event, one attendee reported that the conference is a lifeline for his postgraduate update and appraisal.

A change of name this year from the Rural Doctors Conference reflected the teamwork that is now involved in running rural medical practices. General Practitioners were joined by their nurses and managers to learn together.

“If nurses and practice managers can learn at the same time as GPs, then we are all for it,” said Dr Green. “We are now so used to teamwork and the needs of the aging population are such that we need partnership to get through the workload.

“The conference is a very valuable meeting place where health professionals can learn from each other by networking. I find it very useful to hear what other practices are doing and to take tips from them. Everybody has their own expertise and I think it’s important that we share best practice with our peers.

Seven trainee doctors attended the conference this year from various District General Hospitals in Wales, including Withybusy in Pembrokeshire and University Hospital Wales in Cardiff. This was welcomed by Dr Green who is keen to attract more young health care professionals to the event.

Managing the aging population, prevention of falls in older people, funny turns, visual impairment and psychogeriatrics were the topics to open the conference on the Wednesday.

Alan Jefferies, of White Crane Tai Chi, ended the morning by teaching delegates about the benefits of Tai Chi exercises in the prevention of falls. Delegates also had the opportunity to try some exercises themselves.

Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people over 75 in the UK. It is estimated that the overall direct healthcare cost to the NHS is £15 million every year.

‘Hot topics in primary care’ was the focus on Thursday, when Dr Peter Holden, a Matlock GP and General Practitioner Committee negotiator, addressed delegates under his regular and popular ‘Holden’s Soapbox’ slot. He discussed the likely impact of the Health Bill in England, which would give GPs a greater role in commissioning services.

Dr Green said there was a feeling that changes in England would eventually cross the border into Wales and GPs were worried about what the future held for them.

Reducing medicines wastage in GP practices, lung cancer, bariatric sugery, treatment of hip and knee conditions and sleep disorders were other topics discussed on Thursday.

Dr Green said it was in everybody’s interests to stop medicines wastage to save the NHS money.

Friday was a day of clinical skills in primary care, including minor surgery, the collapsed patient, the ECG workbook, rural dermatology, minor injury medicine, joint injections and foot and ankle treatment.

Next year’s conference is set for September 25-28.

New initiatives tackling stress in Rural Wales

May 4th, 2011

Training police officers to deal with a people experiencing a severe mental health episode and enrolling community nurses to provide free blood pressure tests at livestock markets, are just two of the successful initiatives developed under the Rural Support Wales banner.

Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, Rural Support Wales (RSW) provides advice, information and support for people living in rural Wales who are suffering from stress.

The project, which is co-ordinated by the Institute of Rural Health, has run for six years and is awaiting a decision from the Welsh Assembly about future funding.

To mark the completion of the current phase, the project recently held a conference at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells to share best practice in rural stress support.

The event was designed to explore how people currently access help and support, how they can be encouraged to do so in the future and how to encourage referrals. The keynote speaker was the Rev. Dr Gordon Gatward, director of the Arthur Rank Centre.

RSW has found that one of the most successful ways of spreading information about the services available has been to set up a stand at livestock marts. Community nurses offer free blood pressure testing and people attending the market learn about the full range of support services and health information available.

“Farmers are encouraged onto the stand to have their blood pressure tested,” said Helen Porter, project co-ordinator for the IRH. “Some of the younger farmers have never had their blood pressure tested and those with high readings are advised to make an appointment with their doctor.

“In the more informal set-up of the mart, they may then start talking about the stresses they are experiencing. Auctioneers welcome our presence at the mart, saying that farmers are far more likely to access services there than to go down to the surgery. Nurses are enthusiastic because they are making contact with a sometimes hard to reach group.”

RSW has also worked with other initiatives that are promoting health and wellbeing. Thanks to a partnership between Dyfed Powys Police and Hywel Dda Health Board in Carmarthenshire, local police officers are now being trained in psychiatric settings to improve their communications with mental health services.

“Police officers are usually the first to be called upon when someone is experiencing a severe mental health episode, while the mental health services deal with the long term care of the patient,” said Mrs Porter.

“Training all new recruits on the wards has proved so successful that this has now been extended to all police personnel. It has resulted in a reduction in stereotyping, a less confrontational approach and better perceptions among patients about the role of the police.”

Mrs Porter said there had been a positive response to services provided by Rural Support Wales over the past three years.

“The success of an initiative such as this, which is built around providing information that may be helpful to people, is very hard to measure,” she added. “It’s impossible to record the number of people who have been helped to cope, who haven’t needed serious mental health input.

“However, there has been a positive response from many people to our cards, leaflets and website - www.ruralsupportwales.org.uk - and the growth of constructive partnerships has been very encouraging.

“Co-operation with, for example, home fire safety officers has meant that they carry the little RSW information cards to hand out to householders, while their campaign to encourage farmers to take up the offer of free home fire safety checks has been promoted by the farming representatives on our project steering group.

“Similar co-operation occurs with police community support officers and with other groups that go out into the rural community, including mobile library drivers and Age Concern Community Buddies.

“We hope that the local voluntary networks, having worked with the initiative on these various models of outreach, will continue to promote the information; with the IRH continuing to manage and update the website, so that there is a permanent resource of information for people suffering from rural stress. Most importantly, that people will be encouraged to ask for help at an early stage.”

New project aims to develop care farming in Wales

April 12th, 2011

An organisation that champions rural health and wellbeing across the UK has been appointed to lead a new project to develop care farming in Wales.

The Institute of Rural Health, which is based at Gregynog Hall, near Newtown, has won a contract from the Welsh Assembly Government's Rural Health Innovation Fund to undertake the work. It is one of a range of projects linked to the Assembly’s Rural Health Plan objectives.

The project, which runs until July, is being co-ordinated by Dr Fiona Williams, the IRH’s research manager, who has previously worked with Care Farming Scotland.

A Project Advisory Group and Steering Committee, representing land-based and industry organisations, those with health and social care remits and the voluntary sector, has already been formed to take the initiative forward in Wales.

Care farming is the therapeutic use of farming practices to provide health, social or educational care services for vulnerable groups of people. These groups could include those experiencing mental health issues, excluded or disaffected youth, those with alcohol or drug issues, people with special needs and autism, prolific offenders and those on probation and the long term unemployed.

An alternative to traditional medical interventions and treatment, therapy and training, farmers and land managers provide an additional ‘health service’ by allowing groups of people access to their farms, market gardens and woodlands via various means.

"Care farming can deliver highly effective health and social care through partnerships between agriculture, social, health, justice and educational agencies," said Dr Williams. "It has enormous potential in providing alternative, cost-effective solutions to national and regional targets in health, crime, agriculture and education."

"Care farming is currently an underdeveloped tool for reversing the escalating cost-trends related to healthcare and social inclusion and can provide economic opportunities in agriculture as a form of diversification."

The concept has gathered momentum in England and Scotland in recent years, supported by the National Care Farming Initiative (NCFI), Care Farming Scotland and regional networks.

Isolated pockets of care farming interest and activity in Wales have been reported by NCFI. The IRH's study aims to bring together interested parties and outline the next steps for the development of care farming in Wales to meet identified needs as part of an integrated community care programme.

To find out more about the care farming project in Wales or to get involved contact Dr Williams on telephone 01686 650800 or e-mail fionaw@irh.ac.uk.