Rurality is an issue affecting the delivery of services in a significant proportion of English local health economies. Nearly one in six statutory primary care trust (PCT) areas (24 out of 151) has at least half of its population living in rural settlements and larger market towns according to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) definitions. In a further 26 PCT areas this is true for between a quarter and half of the population.
Rural PCTs consider that the Health and Social Care Bill presents a real opportunity to improve rural health services by tailoring services to meet the needs of their communities. However, it is important that the specific characteristics of rural areas are taken into account when reforms are being implemented to ensure that new approaches are ‘rural proofed’ and will work well in these communities.
This briefing is designed to raise awareness of the critical issues that those implementing the coalition Government’s health reforms in rural communities will need to be aware of and to set out some starting points for addressing them.