The ‘shop window’ of the Scottish Rural Medicine Collaborative – its website – has been given an overhaul.
The new-look site has been redesigned and updated both to reflect the breadth of work now undertaken by the SRMC and to make it easier to use.
The website’s ‘About us’ page deserves particular attention. Not only does it set out the collaborative’s roles and objectives but it explains how the SRMC functions, outlines what it’s managed to achieve since it was set up in March 2017 and looks at the opportunities and challenges it faces in the near future.
It also features illustrated biographies of members of the collaborative’s programme board and well as a photo gallery reflecting the SRMC’s presence at various events throughout the country. Forthcoming events are also featured in a dedicated page on the website.
A page headlined ‘Resources’ will be particularly useful to anyone with an interest in GP recruitment and retention in remote and rural Scotland. It gives a link to the GP Jobs website, billed as the “one-stop shop for all GP jobs throughout Scotland; a GP recruitment guide designed as an aid to practices looking to recruit; a link to a page featuring information on international recruitment and a link to the SRMC’s occasional newsletters.
The ‘Resources’ page also features, among other things, a section on the ‘Rediscover the Joy of General Practice’ initiative; links to a range of wellbeing support services for GPs and facts about training and education pathways. There is also a template designed to help capture information about improvements made to services in remote and rural communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The website also hosts a range of posts – brief news items reporting on key issues and developments – and, of course, full contact details.
Ian Blair, SRMC Project Manager, said; “I believe a good website should always be a work in progress, constantly updating and refreshing. However, I believe ours is now modern, user-friendly and, more particularly, a useful asset.
“Of course, we welcome feedback and I’d urge anyone with any comments or suggestions to get in touch.”