Now Charles’s ‘Royal NHS’ set to help patients all over the world
PRINCE Charles is to offer alternative and holistic medical treatments to patients all over the world as he unveils plans to expand his ‘Royal NHS’.
Three years ago, the heir to the throne set up a health and wellbeing centre at Dumfries House, Ayrshire, the stately home he saved for the nation, providing treatments for a range of problems such as fertility and menopause issues, diabetes, obesity and chronic pain.
So far, the centre – dubbed the Royal NHS – has offered around 5,000 patients a range of complementary treatments and therapies not routinely found on the NHS, including herbal remedies, reiki, tai-chi and mindfulness. As the centre prepares to mark its third anniversary, Charles is considering radical plans to expand the number of patients it treats – and its geographical range.
By harnessing the increased popularity of online platforms such as Zoom, the centre, which has already offered remote help to patients in a number of countries, hopes to be able to go global.
Carolyn Paton, health and wellbeing co-ordinator for the Prince’s Foundation at Dumfries House for the Duke of Rothesay, announced plans to provide more treatments to more people.
She said: ‘Our current team possesses great expertise in delivery of our integrated health and wellbeing programme, which focuses on a host of issues, including women’s health, fertility, fibromyalgia and chronic pain, mindfulness, and diabetes and obesity.
‘Using the foundation of our success in these areas with hundreds of participants each year online and in person, we are seeking a health and wellbeing business coordinator who can help increase awareness of and access to our courses.
‘In time, we would like to attract more participants from the rest of Scotland, the UK and beyond.’
The facility is also widely used by charities including Bristol-based Penny Brohn UK, Ayrshire Cancer Support and Macmillan Cancer Support, with its Move More Scotland programme, which runs therapy and activity sessions.
The revenue generated from letting the facility for use in training days and for yoga retreats allows the Prince’s Foundation to continue to provide people with workshops and sessions free of charge.
Last year, in spite of challenges around the global pandemic, the Prince’s Foundation hosted the online Women’s Health Festival and the in-person Chronic Pain Conference
at Dumfries House, and also convened the formation of a Scottish social-prescribing network.
While most of those enrolled come from the East Ayrshire community, online programmes in the past year have attracted sign-ups from North America, mainland Europe and throughout the UK.
The Prince’s Foundation health and wellness programmes have run for almost six years, having been established in May 2016, and are housed in a purpose-built health and wellbeing centre opened by the Prince of Wales in January 2019.
In the three years since then, the Prince’s Foundation’s integrated health and wellbeing programme has attracted 4,932 people to its series of workshops, courses and events. Special tea dances have also been attended by 3,660 local
‘Increase awareness of and access to our courses’ ‘Benefits of establishing an online programme’
pensioners deemed to be at risk of loneliness.
Last year, the Prince’s Foundation ran popular programmes in mindfulness, herbal remedies, pilates, and winter wellbeing while also attracting more than 100 participants to conferences on chronic pain and women’s health.
Ms Paton added: ‘We have seen in the past 18 months the benefits of establishing an online programme to run alongside our in-person offering.
‘Our online offering has extended our reach across North, East and South Ayrshire, and we could do more of that once more GPs in those areas know that their patients can access our programme free of charge, with our generous funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery allowing that to happen.’