Public health needs rural-proofing, a senior leader says

Rural inequalities in decision-making and delivery must be considered in policymaking, a director of public health has said.

The 2025/26 Director of Public Health Annual Report, published by Northumberland County Council, says that impact assessments must consider aspects such as age, gender, disability, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.

The report highlights unique challenges in improving health outcomes in rural areas, including later presentation of some medical conditions and lower uptake of screening programmes for cervical and colorectal cancer. Factors include difficulty accessing healthcare - on average, only 19 per cent of rural residents live within a 20-minute walk of a GP – and rural self-reliance and stoicism.

The report makes recommendations including:

Communities First policy - enable communities to generate local tailored solutions for rural living
Improved prevention and early intervention
Improved connectivity and mobility
Improved data collection to better understand the complexity of rural issues and the interaction between rural resident’s characteristics and their rural environment.

Rurality