Derbyshire farming health work gains national recognition

Derbyshire’s work to make health support more accessible to farmers has been showcased in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2026.

The report, Health in Small Towns and Rural Areas, features health checks delivered at Bakewell Market as an example of how preventative services can be taken directly to farming communities.

Derbyshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, Ellie Houlston, and her team, wrote the report’s chapter on agricultural communities and presented its findings at the report’s launch in London.

The chapter highlights the particular health pressures faced by farmers, farm workers and their families. These include physically demanding work, long and unpredictable hours, financial pressures, isolation and difficulties accessing traditional health services.

It also identifies agriculture as an industry with a comparatively high risk of serious or fatal injury.

The Farmers’ MOT Day, delivered at Bakewell Market by Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, is featured as a Derbyshire case study.

Ellie Houlston, Derbyshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, said:  “It was a privilege to help shape this important national report and present its findings in London.

“Agricultural communities face particular pressures that can affect both their physical and mental health, while the demands of farming life can make it difficult to access support.

“The work at Bakewell Market shows the value of listening to farming communities and providing flexible services in places that are familiar and convenient to them. I’m proud that Derbyshire’s work has been recognised nationally.”

By offering health checks, advice and support at the livestock market, the initiative helps farmers access preventative healthcare in a familiar setting that fits around the demands of their working day.

The report also recognises the work of Derbyshire Rural Chaplaincy, which provides pastoral and emotional support at livestock markets, on farms and at community events.

Dean Wallace, Chief Operating Officer at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said: “By taking services directly into the farming community, we’re helping to break down some of those barriers, encouraging earlier intervention and supporting better health and wellbeing.

“It is a strong example of partners working together to make preventative healthcare more accessible and support people to seek help earlier.

“It’s an approach we’ve been developing over time, recognising the importance of taking services into communities and making healthcare more accessible.”

Ellie wrote the chapter with Derbyshire County Council public health colleagues James Creaghan and Lauren Bird.

More information about the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2026 is available at Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2026: health in rural areas and small towns – GOV.UK