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16 December, 2002
RURAL PROOFING OFFICER APPOINTED BY FORUM
Helen Swindlehurst has been appointed as the new rural proofing officer for health at the Institute of Rural Health.

Helen, a nurse with a background in ophthalmology, research and audit, willl be working with the Rural Health Forum (RHF) to encourage health service planners and policymakers in England to account for the needs of rural people and communities.    Her role will involve working closely with RHF co-ordinator Kate Mitchinson to develop an easy to use 'toolkit' to help Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) consider the rural dimension when planning their health services.

Three English PCTs are now being sought to pilot the 'toolkit', which the RHF hopes will eventually be used across the country to ensure that the impact of health policies on rural communities is fully considered.     The 'toolkit' follows on from 'Think Rural Health, a guide to planning rural health services, jointly published during Rural Health Week in September by the Countryside Agency, the Institute of Rural Health and the RHF. The booklet is packed with information and examples of best practice to guide and inform PCTs.

30 November, 2002
Dr John MacLeod
Dr.John A.J.Macleod, MBE, DL, FRCGP, FRCP (Hon), (Glasgow), FFCS, Honorary Life Member, Wonca,
Awarded MBE 15th June 2002 in Queen`s Jubilee Honours List...Service to medicine.
Invested 21st Nov 2002 at Buckingham Palace by HRH Prince Charles.

24 October, 2002
The Countess of Mar
The Countess, ex-Patron of the original DDA, was responsible for giving a very bloody nose to government in the Lords yesterday on the subject of foot and mouth.   Peers from all parties voted 171 to 123 for vaccination to be given greater priority in any new outbreak.

Farming
According to farming consultants Deloitte & Touche farmers would be better off not farming.   The Common Agriculture Policy pays £80-85 per acre whereas wheat gives an income of £60-65 per acre.    According to D & T farmers lost £8/acre on food production and gained £20/acre from land and property rental giving an overall profit of £12/acre.  The net profit of an average 250 acre farm was just £1,860. 

22 October, 2002
THE INSTITUTE OF RURAL HEALTH  - MINOR INJURIES COURSE 
A successful two-day course which focused on managing minor injuries in rural casualty units was organised by the Institute of Rural Health (IRH) at Gregynog, near Newtown in Mid Wales on October 16 and 17.    Course leader was Mark Prescott, accident and emergency consultant at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, regional adviser in A & E medicine and examiner for the Faculty of A & E Medicine.

The course covered the organisation and management of minor injury units and treatment rooms, X-ray stations, soft tissue injuries, resuscitation, physiotherapy, wound care, burns, fracture management, suturing, plastering, facial, hand and minor head injuries.

Mr Prescott said "We have practical involvement group sessions during which we consider issues like, if there are x-rays taken who looks at them? We are dealing with a group of people who have often had to develop practice with very little previous support.   The format of the course has evolved over the years to make it increasingly interactive and there is pressure to extend it to three days to either look at each subject in more depth or to add extra material."

Ann Whale, IRH training co-ordinator, said  "Competence in clinical skills is essential for the rural practitioner and nurse, who often care for patients many miles away from their nearest accident and emergency (A & E) units at district general hospitals," she added.

The course may well be repeated in March 2003