Rural Access to Health and Care Services

Rural residents face distinct healthcare challenges, including limited access to transport, longer distances to medical facilities, an aging demographic, housing inadequacies, digital connectivity gaps, and recruitment hurdles for healthcare workers.

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11 May 2020

Getting rural Britain back to work – Rural Coalition

The Rural Services network, alongside other members of the Rural Coalition, have written to George Eustice (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to warn against Government applying a rigid...

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11 May 2020

‘Unprecedented’ number of countryside visitors during lockdown

The Easter Daily Press reports that there has been an ‘unprecedented’ rise in the number of people using farmland footpaths during lockdown Rural advisors at Savills Norwich say they have...

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05 May 2020

Health and Social Care Blog

by Kerry Booth – Rural Services Network Assistant Chief Executive Who could have foreseen when I wrote the last Health and Social Care Spotlight (February 2020) the situation we would...

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04 May 2020

RSN champions pandemic related rural issues with Government

The below article written by RSN Chairman Cecilia Motley is featured in this months Local Government First. The response to coronavirus needs to consider the different issues facing rural areas...

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04 May 2020

Drone-to-door medicines trial takes flight to support rural areas

A drone company that had to abandon its fast-food delivery tests has partnered with Ireland’s health authority to deliver prescriptions instead, and could be a good solution to catering for...

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04 May 2020

Rural communities asked to share safety concerns during pandemic

Several local outlets, including the Northern Echo, report on the launch of a survey by police bosses looking at concerns over isolation and increased safety issues rural communities may face...

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04 May 2020

Health and Social Care Spotlight – May 2020

This newsletter on rural health is provided for the RSN and the Rural Health and Care Alliance It includes a roundup of rural health news, research, learning and best practice. If you...

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27 Apr 2020

COVID-19 death rates ‘could be 80% higher in rural communities’

The Evening Standard published a study which has predicted significantly higher levels of COVID-19 fatalities in rural locations due to larger ageing populations The analysis found that death rates could...

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27 Apr 2020

Despite a strong community spirit, COVID-19 is exposing real challenges in our rural areas

Philip Dunne MP (Con) has written an article for Politics Home, arguing that due to factors such as a concentration of jobs in key employers as well as a lack...

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27 Apr 2020

Rural organisations call for lockdown travel guidelines to be reviewed

Several news outlets including the BBC, Yorkshire Post and Sky, report on calls from rural groups against recent advice to police forces that it is lawful to drive somewhere to...

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