Prof Liam Glynn & Prof Peter Hayes - Transforming Rural Health in Ireland

Prof Liam Glynn is the Professor of General Practice at the School of Medicine, University of Limerick and Chair of ICGP National Rural General Practice Standing Committee.  Prof Peter Hayes is Professor of Rural General Practice at the School of Medicine, University of Limerick. In this episode they will share the story of how Ireland transformed its rural health landscape over two decades.    Episode summary: 01.10  They tell us about their interest in rural health and about their current roles 07.10  What led to the "No Doctor, no Village" campaign in the late 2000's and what impact did that campaign have?  17.40  How did the Rural, Island and Dispensing Doctors of Ireland (RIDDI), Irish College of GPs and the University of Limerick work together to advocate for rural health? 21.10  How was the Rural Wonca conference in 2022 significant and how did they keep the momentum going after the event? 25.50  How does the state of rural healthcare in 2026 compare to what was happening 20 years ago?  32.55  What were some of the enablers and some of the challenges for policy advocacy? 35.00  What advice could you share with others who are trying to improve rural healthcare in their country or region?   Key messages After the economic crash in 2008 rural healthcare in Ireland came under pressure.  The community came together through the "No Doctor, No Village" campaign.   It began as a series of public meetings and local government leaders were asked how they would address the issues facing rural healthcare.  The government at the time did not have a plan to address rural healthcare.  They put forward their own candidates for parliament at the general election, a rural doctor became a member of parliament and was able to support change from that role. The Rural WONCA conference in 2022 in Limerick led to the development of the Limerick Declaration.   The Limerick Declaration focuses on leadership, workforce, research and policy advocacy. The conference allowed many leading experts to come together and synthesize national and international issues. University of Limerick gives students the opportunity to experience rural practice during their training.  They produce the highest number of general practitioners among the Universities in Ireland.  This supports the rural workforce pipeline.  For a successful Conference that enables change you need the support of clinicians who understand the coal face, academics who have organized conferences before and the GP College to support policy change. Building relationships and partnerships throughout the process is very important. Introduced the Rural Ambassador programme at the conference and they supported the development of the Limerick Declaration. You need some small wins to keep momentum going.  Change agendas can be slow and keeping faith is important.   Rural Practics Support Framework helped to make rural practice more viable. Workforce pipeline has been supported by longitudinal placements in rural areas.   New programme has been developed to focus on developing rural general practitioners. There is also a programme for international medical graduates to develop rural practice careers. Locum Support has also been made available to rural practices allowing rural GPs to take their annual leave and continue to provide services for their patients. General practice in Ireland is entrepreneurial, this can be a challenge in uncertain times.   Providing mentorship for new general practitioners has been important for supporting new GPs. The most important voice is the voice of those most affected - the communities.   Getting the right people in the room is important, when relationships are built, then key people will attend meetings and events when they are invited.     Advice for policy advocacy and change: Involve communities and important stakeholders.   Be prepared to work hard and be patient.  Change is not linear.   Go political where you can.  Build relationships.   Learn more:  https://www.the-iceberg.org/jmic-case-studies/transforming-rural-health-a-tale-of-3-meetings/   Thank you for listening to the Rural Road to Health! Rural Health Compass