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Bridlington Harbour. Photo: Echo Media Group. <\/p>\nBridlington, a key hub for crab and lobster fishing, boasts approximately 74 vessels and nearly 200 fishermen. Over the past eight years, SeaFit has engaged with around 150 of them, providing health checks and wellbeing sessions. By maintaining a presence at the harbour, SeaFit addresses the unique healthcare challenges faced by these workers.<\/p>\n
Bridlington Harbour. Photo: Echo Media Group. <\/p>\n
The newly launched\u00a010 Year Health Plan for England<\/a>\u00a0marks a major shift in focus \u2014 from treating illness to helping people stay healthy. In the North East and Yorkshire, services are working together to detect conditions earlier, tackle the root causes of poor health, and support people to live longer, healthier lives. By focusing on prevention, the NHS can improve outcomes for patients, reduce inequalities and ease pressure on hospitals.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In this region, one example of how NHS services are working to support wellbeing and prevent ill health is the SeaFit programme. A joint initiative of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, Seafarers Hospital Society and The Fishermen\u2019s Mission, SeaFit aims to improve the health and wellbeing of fishermen and their families along the Yorkshire and North East coast.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Richard Beecroft<\/strong>\u00a0is the project\u2019s\u00a0Health and Improvement Practitioner at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust<\/strong>\u00a0and he works from a mobile consultation unit which visits harbours, from Withernsea to Hartlepool. Speaking at his latest harbourside location in East Yorkshire, he explained how SeaFit reaches out to fishermen and women and their families, with a patients\u2019 ages ranging from children to retirees.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBridlington is a significant port for crab and lobster fishing so there are about 74 vessels going out from here alone \u2013 each vessel has around three fishermen, so you\u2019re looking at nearly 200 fishermen who could access the SeaFit service,\u201d Richard said. \u201cAlthough not all of them will engage, over the past seven or eight years I\u2019ve probably seen 150 of them, whether to provide a general health check, a wellbeing session or address a specific healthcare need.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe reach out by being present at the harbour, having an open door policy at the consultation unit and talking to fishermen as they\u2019re landing their catches. Through their busy lifestyle they can be quite isolated, find it difficult to attend medical appointments and so it takes time to build a rapport. We have evidence our flexible drop-in service helps to tackle these difficulties.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs a group, fishermen are self-employed and if there are no crabs or lobsters that day they don\u2019t get any income. They\u2019ve got a boat to run and have responsibilities linked to agencies like the Marine and Coastguard Agency. All these factors mean mental health support is a key part of our service. Simply by asking how someone is feeling can prompt them to open up about their feelings in a private and confidential setting. After speaking with one fisherman, for example, I referred him to an NHS Talking Therapies service which offered him eight sessions.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s highly rewarding to support people\u2019s health and wellbeing and prevent a symptom like raised blood pressure from developing into a stroke or heart attack, or identifying that someone\u2019s blood sugar level is elevated and advising them how through changes to their diet and activity levels they can prevent type 2 diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A retired fisherman based at Bridlington, Michael Brown\u00a0runs sea-fishing tours<\/strong>\u00a0from the busy harbour. As an experienced seaman he understands how spending long periods at sea can make it difficult for fisherman to access NHS healthcare when they need it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think the SeaFit initiative has been a positive step in helping fishermen and their families overcome any barriers they might face in accessing NHS services,\u201d Michael said. \u201cKnowing that the SeaFit consultation van is parked regularly at the harbourside is reassuring to local fishermen and those based at other harbours along this coastline.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Find out more about how NHS organisations are innovating healthcare delivery to help people stay healthy, in line with the 10 Year Health Plan by visiting the\u00a0NHS North East and Yorkshire regional webpage.<\/a><\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_9490-3.jpg\")
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Richard Beecroft\u00a0is the project\u2019s\u00a0Health and Improvement Practitioner at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust. Photo: Submitted. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_9305-2.jpg\")
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Bridlington Fisherman Michael Brown. Photo: Submitted. <\/p>\n