Health and Wellbeing

Rural Stress Helpline is on call to help rural communities - Press release
The Rural Stress Helpline has been launched to offer a totally confidential and non-judgemental listening service to rural communities. Visit website

Factsheet: Mind - Rural issues in mental health

This factsheet is aimed at people who live or work in rural areas and anyone who provides health or social care services in England or Wales. It addresses issues relating to mental health that are specific to, or more common in, the countryside. The factsheet also covers issues that may be found in towns and cities but carry different implications for rural areas and may require different solutions.

Institute of Rural Health

The Institute of Rural Health is a UK-wide academic charity, established in 1997, working to inform, develop and promote the health and wellbeing of rural people and their communities through its three main academic programme areas: research and projects (contributing to the evidence base), education and training (developing a workforce fit for purpose), and policy analysis (including rural proofing).

The King's Fund is an independent charitable foundation working for better health.  Their goals are to help develop: informed policy, by undertaking original research and providing objective analysis; effective services, by fostering innovation and helping put ideas into action; and skilled people, by building understanding, capacity and leadership.  website

Click here to view a new (April 08) King's Fund discussion paper: Should Primary Care Trusts be Made More Accountable?

Local accountability has been a significant policy issue within the NHS generally. However, primary care trusts are in the main accountable to the centre and there have been calls to review this. This paper discusses a range of options for reforming the relationships between PCTs and their public. It explores the question of whether better services and more legitimate decisions will result from better engagement with local people or whether local accountability is an end in itself.

Rural Community Council (Leicestershire and Rutland) - Rural Stress Support Team

Voice Workshop - Healthy Eating in Rural Communities: Barriers and Opportunities