Rural health in England

The NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England emphasises prevention of ill health as the most sustainable way to manage costs and improve outcomes.

This aligns closely with the ACRE Network’s core work.

Supporting access to good quality affordable housing; partnering with voluntary groups and NHS organisations to reduce loneliness and backing health-focused social enterprises are just some of the activities that Network members have been involved in recently.

Elsewhere, members have helped to pilot community health interventions and influenced integrated care board policies around reducing rural health inequalities.

In particular, the ongoing work of Network members in Hereford and Worcestershire, Hampshire and Somerset shows how funding provided by Defra can be used to deliver tangible, on-the-ground initiatives.