Farmers in North Yorkshire urged to see doctors at new drop-in clinic

Patients from the farming community registered with Helmsley Medical Centre can now visit the surgery on Mondays on a drop-in basis to see a GP without appointment.

The new initiative comes after staff at the surgery noticed farming patients were often ignoring concerning symptoms, leading to late diagnoses.

Heather White, practice manager, said: “This is part of a national pilot to look at how we can increase capacity in GP practices.

“Within our farming community, we identify a group who don’t necessarily keep appointments, or even make them.

“There’s a stoicism there, and a sort of pride. And certainly, there’s also rural isolation.

“Both from a characteristic and practicality point of view, it’s difficult for them to present in practice, and then when they do, they are often further along a health journey than you would have wished for them.

“So we’ve got one of our GPs, Dr Jonathan Crewe, who is ready to see anybody who walks through the door.”

“Being a small surgery, we do get to know our population. We know our farming families, and we know from data when they do present, it can be later, particularly in regards to cancer.”

The new drop in clinic, which launched in December, has been funded by the South Hambleton and Ryedale primary care network.

Dr Crewe explained that it’s not only physical problems that he wants people to present with at the surgery drop in clinics.

He said: “It’s known mental health is a real problem in farming communities, particularly with isolated working. People turn up sicker and later.”