Rural Access to Health and Care Services
Rural residents face distinct healthcare challenges, including limited access to transport, longer distances to medical facilities, an aging demographic, housing inadequacies, digital connectivity gaps, and recruitment hurdles for healthcare workers.
20 Apr 2026
New Health Support Announced for Firefighters
Firefighters across England will benefit from enhanced health and wellbeing support under a new government initiative aimed at improving prevention, monitoring and long-term care.
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20 Apr 2026
Neighbourhood Health Framework: Progress And Questions Remain
A new analysis from the Nuffield Trust examines the recently published neighbourhood health framework, which aims to support the shift of care from hospitals into community settings as set out...
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20 Apr 2026
MPs Call For Improvements To Palliative Care Services
A new report from the Health and Social Care Committee has highlighted significant challenges in England’s palliative and end of life care system, including concerns about services for children and...
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20 Apr 2026
School PE Still Shaping Midlife Health, Study Finds
New research from Age UK highlights how negative experiences of school PE are continuing to shape attitudes towards physical activity decades later.
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16 Mar 2026
Supporting Rural Health Inequalities
A new report from Northumberland County Council’s Director of Public Health shines a light on the unique factors shaping health and wellbeing in rural communities. Rural Realities: Health Inequalities in...
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16 Mar 2026
More Dentists Planned As Government Moves To Expand Workforce
The government has announced plans to significantly increase the number of dentists able to practise in the UK, in a move aimed at improving patient access to appointments and tackling...
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02 Mar 2026
Share Your Views: Rural & Coastal Cancer Research Priorities
A new UK and Ireland-wide study is seeking views on what matters most for cancer care and research in rural and coastal communities. Led by researchers at the University of...
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16 Feb 2026
Opportunity: Rural & Coastal Hospital Services
RSN members may wish to be aware of a new series of free-to-attend webinars being organised externally by the NHS – South West Region, the National Centre for Rural Health...
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09 Feb 2026
National Cancer Plan Sets Out Ambition To Improve Outcomes
The government has published its National Cancer Plan for England, setting out a ten-year ambition to improve cancer survival, increase early diagnosis, modernise services and reduce longstanding inequalities in outcomes...
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29 Jan 2026
Building Sustainable Community Support for Chronic Illness in Rural Areas
Across rural communities, people living with chronic illness often face a unique combination of challenges: limited access to services, social isolation, transport barriers, and a lack of locally grounded peer...
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