Farmers in West Somerset can now access health care without visiting a doctor.
A new rural health hub is now up and running at a livestock market in Exmoor, providing easy access to support in a familiar setting.
The Exmoor Rural Health Hub, based at Wheddon Cross, is one of three such clinics in Somerset.
Olivia Winterton, who helped set up the hub and now serves as secretary, said: "GP surgeries are often distant from the more remote rural communities; appointments are hard to access and are often at times unsuited to the farming timetable.
"Staffing our drop-ins with a regular team of NHS nurses, all with farming knowledge and backgrounds, who understand the challenges farmers face in their daily work, aims to reduce the reticence of this client group in coming forward to seek help."
The purpose-built health hub replaces a temporary portable building that became inadequate as demand grew.
It now hosts bi-monthly clinics focused on physical health and mental well-being, staffed by an NHS nurse and a mental health practitioner.
Clinics run for four hours and are timed to coincide with cattle and sheep sales.
The Exmoor Rural Health Hub raised £110,000 to build the new facility through grants, donations, and support from the Rural England Prosperity Fund.
Jonathan Higman, chief executive of NHS Somerset, said: "The collaboration between the NHS and the Farming Health Hub exemplifies the strength of public and community partnerships in delivering meaningful and lasting healthcare improvement."
The hub will be officially opened on Wednesday, July 15, and is already being used by members of the farming community.
It aims to deliver preventive healthcare, a key focus of the NHS 10-year plan, while easing pressure on nearby GP surgeries.
By meeting practical needs and offering care directly where farmers work, the hub is designed to break down barriers and improve health outcomes in rural areas.
