A major conference that aims to share the achievements of innovative in rural health and wellbeing initiatives is to be held near Newtown during Rural Health Week.
Themed ‘Rural health innovation – sharing and adopting the learning’, the conference is supported by the Welsh Government and organised by the Institute of Rural Health (IRH) at Gregynog Hall, near Newtown on Tuesday, September 20.
Innovations that have resulted from projects supported by the Welsh Government’s Rural Health Innovation Fund will be highlighted. The three key themes of access, integration and community cohesion and engagement.
The plan states: “Rural health cannot be considered in isolation from social, economic, transport, housing and social care matters, reinforcing the need for rural proofing and integrated planning and service delivery.”
Jane Randall-Smith, IRH chief executive, said: “The conference will provide delegates with the opportunity to learn how others are tackling the many challenges that working and living in a rural area pose.
“A key element of the day is not only to share the learning from the experiences of these innovative projects but also to explore ways to build on it. This will be the first step towards ensuring that successful initiatives are transferable, mainstreamed and sustainable.”
The conference will include a poster wall of the Rural Health Innovation Fund projects, which are being added to a national Database
of Rural Health Good Practice.
The database – www.ruralhealthgoodpractice.org.uk – is maintained by the IRH and provides information on projects that demonstrate people and agencies working together to cross boundaries to do things differently to improve health and wellbeing outcomes throughout the UK.
Conference delegates will be welcomed by Professor Marc Clement, chair of the Welsh Government’s Rural Health Implementation Group and the opening address will be given by Lord Elystan Morgan, who chaired the Rural Health Plan’s Ministerial Steering Group.
Helen Howson, the Welsh Government’s head of primary and community strategy, will speak about making a difference by delivering better rural health, Dr Lyndon Miles on delivering rural health care services and Dr Alan Axford and Delyth Lewis will address rural health telemedicine.
Rural health innovation in Wales will be highlighted by rural health scholar Stephanie Best and IRH research manager Dr Fiona Williams.
Workshop sessions will focus on developing new ways of working in rural communities. The sessions will be based on projects relating to telemedicine and ICT, community engagement, service improvements and new planning models for better rural health and workforce development.
A question and answer session with a panel of experts will close the conference, which is one of the events being held to celebrate Rural Health Week from September 18-24 on the theme “Achieving rural health and wellbeing - responding to a changing world”.
Organised by the IRH, Rural Health Week is designed to raise the profile of rural health issues locally, regionally and nationally by bringing together people at all levels, from individuals and voluntary organisations to health professionals and local government workers.
Another major event associated with the week is the rural Annual Primary Care Conference, which is this year being held at Gregynog Hall from September 21-23.
Organised by Montgomeryshire Medical Society in partnership with the IRH, the event was formerly known as the Rural Doctors Conference and attracts quality speakers, rural GPs and their primary care colleagues from across the UK.
To submit details of activities for Rural Health Week contact either Jane Randall-Smith at janers@irh.ac.uk of IRH information officer Kathy Braddock at kathyb@irh.ac.uk or telephone 01686 650800.
