Italian researchers aim to learn from how healthcare is delivered in Nairn
Healthcare in Nairn is making a splash internationally, as a model for community care in Italy.
Nairn Town and County Hospital was renovated and expanded in 2012, integrating community hospital, primary care and social care functions.
It is now one of a range of models being examined by Italian researchers through the Community Hospitals Association (CHA).
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In 2022, the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), using funding from the EU for post-Covid recovery, allocated €7 billion for community care.
The Italian government set out a strategy to strengthen the delivery of local healthcare with the creation of more than 300 community hospitals by 2026, and a team of researchers working on the project contacted CHA in order to learn more about UK models.
Dr Alastair Noble, a Nairn community councillor, had a major role in the project wearing another of his hats, as Scotland lead for the CHA.
“In Nairn, what works is having the right range of services in the community, and this is down to the integration of health and social care,” he said.
“Ultimately, this is part of a virtuous cycle that can benefit the whole community, and it all adds up to a better quality of life.
“This is an integrated model where you bring together doctors, nurses, social care and other specialists in the same place, and Nairn’s is seen very highly in the UK.
“It’s about the building of a system where you have a GP surgery and a hospital at the same time, but also about the staff - and maintaining a good retention of staff is key.
“Allowing people to receive the care they need at home, especially for the elderly and palliative care, is (also) really vital to the quality of care.”
He said seeing Nairn being used as an inspiration on an international level is testament to the importance of community practice, especially in rural areas.
Nairn Town and County hospital serves 16,000 people, with more than 200 people working there.
CHA president Helen Tucker said that it was great to work with the Italian team - with lessons also being learned the other way around as well.
“What the Italian government is aiming to do is incredibly ambitious,” she said. “They have to set this up in a short time, and it’s vital that they are able to engage everyone so it works as well as it can do.
“We have had community hospitals in the UK for over 150 years so there is much to learn from our established model, and the new model that the Italians are developing.”
She added: “I have spoken at two national conferences in Italy on this and we are finding that there is much to learn from all sides. We are delighted that there is such strong recognition and investment in community hospitals in Italy, and we are focused on helping them to make the most of this investment opportunity for the benefit of their communities.“
Francesca Meda, part of the Italian research team, said: “This collaboration has been incredibly useful for us.
“For us, this is mostly about rethinking the organisational model we have in Italy for care within the communities. And because these can be drastically different (from an urban context, such as Rome, to very rural areas) it’s important that this model is flexible and able to adapt to different needs.
“What was a highlight for us is how examples such as Nairn and the UK are really valued by their communities, they are grassroots realities, which people rely on, and that is particularly important in a rural setting. They are able to adapt to the requirements that come from the people who use the service.”
