NHS staff reach out to boaters at canalside session

Mental health and loneliness on canals is one of the key areas NHS staff in Wiltshire have been tackling

NHS staff have stepped out of their surgeries for the day "to connect and build trust" with local boaters.

About 2,000 people are predicted to be living on Wiltshire's canals and with many of them constantly on the move, it can make visiting the doctor difficult.

Ayesha Khanam, from the East Kennet Primary Care Network, said: "Part of our health and equalities initiative is to look at areas and cohorts of people who have the most amount of trouble reaching us at the surgery."

She added that is why the Kennet and Avon team wanted to put together a drop in session at Pewsey Wharf, which took place on Wednesday, and is looking at putting on more outreach services in the future.

"It's just walking around, seeing if we can speak to some boaters to have a friendly, no pressure chat," she said.

"It's about measuring the gap, finding out how they feel and to promote the services we can offer them. We want to connect and build trust."

Lyndsey James has been living on the canal for three years

Dave has lived on the canal for about 20 years and said the outreach service was a step in the right direction.

"There's a lot of elderly people on the canal, a lot of people with health problems who don't have doctors and they're struggling," he said.

Boater Lyndsey James added that knowing about the services GP's offer is "so important".

"When you're continuously cruising, it's really difficult to get to a doctor because you're not in the same area all the time," she said.

Mrs James said she found the team "really helpful", adding: "Everyone should have access to healthcare."

'Appropriate support'

Karen Montgomery, social prescriber across the Pewsey and Marlborough surgeries, said getting out of the GP practices had helped them understand the issues people can face.

"[It's] been a visual experience of seeing the boats, seeing access to them, which I am aware can be an issue, and just a reminder of the rural nature of the environment where there can be trouble with transport," she said.

Ms Montgomery added the team were also focusing on things like loneliness and mental health.

"Social isolation is a big issue and it feeds into those accessibility problems... can they walk down the tow path, can they drive, is there a bus?" Ms Montgomery said.

"We can offer help with these things. That's what our role is... making sure boaters are aware of and are connected with the right and appropriate support services."