Melton: Taking health checks out to farmers

Farming is a high-pressured, all-consuming profession which is often carried out in isolated parts of the country. It makes seeking help for health problems and engaging with services difficult.

Melton Borough Council has worked with a local farming support service to take health checks directly to farmers. The council has funded the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) to provide free health checks at the Melton Mowbray Livestock Market.

The service is run twice a month – once on a day when sheep farmers attend and another to coincide with cattle farmers. It was launched as a six-month pilot in 2022, building on a successful mobile health clinic in Lincolnshire, where there is also a large farming community. To support its continued success and impact, the council made the decision to provide funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which will enable this valuable service to continue to March 2025. 

‘Health check saved my life’

Nurses from LRSN provide blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol checks as well as providing healthy lifestyle advice. The service also has one nurse who specialises in diabetes and is able to provide tailored advice for those diagnosed with the condition.

LRSN Head of Charity Amy Thomas said: “When we first launched there was a little bit of suspicion, but we worked with the team at the market to promote it and our nurses will go out and about at the market with their blood pressure monitor to engage the farmers. 

“It’s not like an NHS service from that point of view. They have uniforms, but have their boots on too. They are seen as part of the market and wider community.

“Sometimes they just have a conversation one week and then next time they visit they are ready to have all the checks done. We have a room allocated for the nurses to talk to the farmers and carry out all the checks if they are happy.

“Mostly they just then provide advice about diet and lifestyle. But if the readings are really high they will provide them with a letter which they can take to their GP.”

Over the past year more than 500 farmers – the overwhelming majority of whom are men - have had health checks and 44 have received referrals to other services.

This includes one farmer who was subsequently diagnosed with a serious health problem and believes the service saved his life. He said: “I had a routine health check with the LRSN nurse insisted that I go straight to my GP for further tests. A year, multiple surgeries and hospital stays later, I know that I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t been in to see LRSN that day.”

‘Mental health support just as important’

Ms Thomas said: “We also get farmers coming to us for other things. They may have minor wounds that need dressing or they may have questions about medication they want answering.

“And while the checks are based around physical health, our nurses also take the opportunity to talk to the farmers about their mental and emotional health. It takes time for them to open up, but the farming community is under incredible stress so this is a vital part of the work we do.”

LRSN provides a one-to-one support service for farmers from Lincolnshire, while the Farming Community Network provides support for those from Leicestershire – the market attracts farmers from both counties.

Former Melton Mayor Cllr Alan Hewson, who is himself a farmer, said the health checks are providing a vital service. Evaluation shows the return on investment is £8.20 for every £1 spent on the service.

“Farmers are notorious for not prioritising their health - they just don’t have the time to go and see a GP. That is why something like this really works. They don’t have to take time off work to get their health checks done.

“But the support for mental health is just as important. There is a real stigma about seeking help for mental health, but farmers are under incredible stress. There are the financial challenges of course, but loneliness is a huge issue.

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