Rural health inequalities

This is a report by Healthwatch North Yorkshire. The project looked at the impact of rurality on access and quality of local health and care services.

A focus on the county is timely given the recent creation of North Yorkshire Council (as a unitary authority), NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, and the UK Government’s levelling up agenda, which includes rural proofing. The research involved a survey and focus groups. The following summary is based on 213 survey respondents and 31 participants across nine focus groups.

The research is a collaboration between Healthwatch North Yorkshire and the Institute for Social Justice at York St John University.

There are recommendations in this report.

• Health care commissioners and providers work collaboratively to ensure services provided for people living in rural North Yorkshire meet their needs via the rural proofing of services. 
• People living in rural areas are included in the design and delivery of health services. 
• The provision of transport in rural areas is reviewed to ensure it meets the needs of local populations and their ability to access health care. 
• Addressing health inequalities of rural populations, including healthcare access and provision, is prioritised by the Humber & North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire (covers Craven) Integrated Care Boards. 
• Further research is undertaken to examine health inequalities across districts within urban, rural and coastal areas in North Yorkshire. 

There are no follow up actions in the report.