30,000 rural health checks delivered as farm families programme hailed a model for community care

Members of the Farm Families Health Checks team celebrates reaching its 30,000^th health check with Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt and Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland.

A Northern Ireland health programme delivering frontline care directly into rural communities has reached a major milestone after providing 30,000 on-the-spot health checks for farmers and farm families.

The Farm Families Health Checks Programme, which has operated across Northern Ireland since 2012, is now being highlighted as a leading example of neighbourhood healthcare and early intervention, with its success recently showcased at two major health conferences in Dublin and Belfast.

The milestone underlines the scale of demand for accessible healthcare services in rural areas, where long working hours, isolation and limited access to routine medical appointments can often delay people from seeking help.

Marking the Farm Families Health Checks team’s 30,000 milestone (left to right) are Christina Faulkner, Farm Families Coordinator, Doreen Bolton, Northern Trust Health and Wellbeing Locality Lead, Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, Rozanna Hardie, Roche Diagnostics, Bernadette Millar, PHA, Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland, and Shaz Passi, Roche Diagnostics.

The programme has been delivered by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust for more than a decade and is jointly developed and co-funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Programme recognised at major health conferences

Its impact was recently presented to healthcare professionals, policymakers and industry leaders during a Roche Diagnostics event in Dublin attended by more than 200 delegates.

Doreen Bolton, Health and Wellbeing Locality Lead, and Christina Faulkner, Farm Families Coordinator, outlined how the initiative is helping bring healthcare closer to people through the use of near-patient testing and community-based diagnostics.

Doreen Bolton, Health and Wellbeing Locality Lead with the Northern Trust, and Christina Faulkner, Farm Families Coordinator, on stage at the Roche Diagnostics event in Dublin.

The discussions focused on how services traditionally delivered in clinical settings can instead be carried out directly within communities, allowing earlier intervention and quicker support for patients who may otherwise go without routine checks.

Doreen Bolton also spoke at the Health Innovation and Research Alliance (HIRANI) Conference in Belfast, where the spotlight was placed on building what organisers described as a “community ready diagnostic ecosystem”.

The conference panel included Mike Farrar, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health, Dr Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and Neighbourhood Model of Care lead, Rozanna Hardie from Roche Diagnostics, and Kathy Jackson, Chief Executive of the Blood Transfusion Service.

Early intervention helping tackle rural health inequalities

Doreen Bolton, Health and Wellbeing Locality Lead with the Northern Trust, spoke at the Health Innovation and Research Alliance (HIRANI) Conference in Belfast.

Speaking about the programme’s impact, Doreen said reaching 30,000 health checks represented a significant achievement for rural healthcare delivery in Northern Ireland.

“We are very proud to have reached our 30,000th health check and to have these opportunities to showcase the service as a model of good practice,” she said.

“It demonstrates how early intervention and prevention can play a crucial role in addressing health inequalities.

“By moving diagnostics closer to communities through near-patient testing, we are showing how care can be delivered differently, enabling earlier intervention, improving access, and supporting better health outcomes.

“The Farm Families Health Checks Programme is a strong example of neighbourhood care in action, delivering vital health services directly to people and ensuring support is available where it is needed most.”

Bringing healthcare directly to farming communities

Marking the Farm Families Health Checks team’s 30,000 milestone (left to right) are Doreen Bolton, Northern Trust Health and Wellbeing Locality Lead, Elizabeth McIlwaine, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Michael McConville, Andrew Muir, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, and Christina Faulkner, Farm Families Coordinator.

The programme was established to improve both the health and social wellbeing of farmers and farm families across Northern Ireland.

For many working in agriculture, attending routine GP appointments or preventative health screenings can be difficult due to long hours, seasonal pressures and the isolated nature of rural work.

By providing health checks within farming communities themselves, organisers say the programme removes some of the barriers that can prevent people from engaging with healthcare services early enough.

The continued recognition of the initiative at major healthcare conferences also reflects a growing focus within the health sector on preventative care, community diagnostics and reducing pressure on overstretched services by identifying health concerns earlier.

As healthcare systems increasingly look for ways to improve access and reduce inequalities, the Farm Families Health Checks Programme is now being presented as an example of how local, community-based services can deliver meaningful results for people who may otherwise struggle to access support.