Healthcare service launched

Gamekeepers who may have many miles to go to see a healthcare professional will be able to benefit from a new service provided by the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust (GWT). The organisation is launching a nurse advice helpline service that can be accessed by any gamekeeper, stalker, gillie or individual in a similar profession — or their family members.

Chief executive Helen Benson explained: “Many of us will have experienced difficulty in accessing advice and appointments, and that’s without factoring in that some of us are very restricted in when we can make time available for personal appointments.

“Our new Nurse Advice Clinic will provide people with an opportunity to talk to a healthcare professional on the phone or online, at a convenient time, from their own home.”

As well as threats to their mental health arising from working alone, often under high levels of pressure, gamekeepers are known to have higher than normal levels of back injuries and a problem with deafness.

The GWT Nurse Advice Clinic will initially be trialled for six months, after which it will be reviewed by the charity trustees to see if they wish to keep it running.

The Nurse Advice Clinic will be available over the phone or online