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May Edition of Casebook from the Rural Health and Care Alliance
May 2026 Edition
Welcome to this month’s edition of Casebook in which we focus on insights from rural residents on their experience of accessing health and care services as part of the RSN Rural Realities research, as well as a wider report on patient experience of the NHS from across the country courtesy of the Patient Association. We also learn how libraries are being used in Devon to actively promote blood pressure monitoring; and sticking with Devon we learn of the Chief Medical Officer’s recent visit to the county to learn more about the challenges of delivering services in rural areas. And finally, we hear about mental health recruitment, and digital barriers to becoming physically active. Read on!
RSN Rural Realities Research
What does it really mean to live in rural England today?
For too long, the story of rural communities has been told through statistics alone, funding gaps, service shortages, and infrastructure challenges. While these are important, they only tell part of the story.
Delivering for All: Rural Realities goes further.
Based on insights from over 2,400 rural residents from across England, alongside in-depth focus groups, this research captures something more powerful: the lived experience of rural life.
It reveals a clear and consistent picture:
Rural communities are under pressure and feel overlooked in national policy and remain full of untapped potential.
This is not just data. It is the reality of everyday life for millions of people across rural England. Read the full report, or just the Rural Health and Social Care findings.
New Report on Patient Experience
The Patients Association has published its latest Patient Experience report, highlighting how people are experiencing care across the NHS.
The findings paint a clear picture: despite political momentum around NHS reform, the day-to-day reality for patients has not improved. From 807 patients sharing their experience over the past six months:
- 69% said their priorities, goals and preferences were not discussed in their care.
- 41% felt there was genuine partnership in decision-making.
- 52% reported that their care was not well co-ordinated.
- 41% faced a very long wait for appointments.
- 57% experienced issues in GP and hospital services, which ties in with our recent report in partnership with RCGP
- 24% said they paid for private care because they could not access NHS services.
The report reflects ongoing challenges around what matters to patients, access, use of technology, and delays, and highlights the real impact on patients: from spending time chasing appointments to repeatedly explaining their situation to different professionals.
The Patient Association is keen to share these insights with organisations like yours and explore we can collectively strengthen patient experience and partnership in care.
The full report is available here.
Devon Library Blood Pressure Scheme Gains National Recognition
A Devon initiative enabling residents to borrow blood pressure monitors from local libraries has been recognised through a nomination for an NHS national excellence award.
The ‘One Devon’ scheme, led by Devon County Council Public Health, Libraries Unlimited and NHS Devon Integrated Care Board, was launched in September 2025 as part of a wider campaign encouraging people to regularly check their blood pressure.
More than 50 libraries across Devon now offer blood pressure kits for loan, allowing residents to monitor their readings at home for up to three weeks. Each kit includes a monitor, guidance on how to take readings, a recording diary, and advice on next steps if blood pressure is found to be high.
The initiative aims to support earlier identification of high blood pressure, which remains one of the leading risk factors linked to strokes, heart disease, and other serious health conditions.
Organisers say the scheme also highlights the growing role of libraries as wider community wellbeing hubs, providing access not only to books and digital services, but also to practical health and wellbeing support within local communities.
The project has been highlighted as an example of partnership working between health services, public health teams, and community organisations to improve preventative healthcare and accessibility.
Chief Medical Officer Explores Rural Health Challenges In Devon
England’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty, has visited Devon as part of a wider fact-finding tour examining the health challenges facing people living in rural towns and communities.
The visit will help inform Sir Chris’s annual report to Government later this year, which is expected to focus on health and wellbeing in rural and small-town England.
During his visit to Devon County Council, Sir Chris met with Public Health Devon, councillors, Trading Standards, Communities teams and partners including Active Devon to discuss the realities of delivering health and wellbeing services across a large rural county.
Among the key issues raised were affordable housing pressures, homelessness, rural deprivation, food insecurity and fuel poverty. Discussions also highlighted the difficulties many rural residents face in accessing healthcare, education, employment opportunities and public services due to poor transport links and patchy digital connectivity.
Young people’s experiences were also shared through findings from a recent Devon Youth Council survey, which highlighted concerns around limited public transport and unreliable broadband access in rural communities.
Devon’s ageing population was identified as another major challenge, with the county supporting one of the highest proportions of older residents in England and facing growing pressures on health and adult social care services.
As part of the visit, Sir Chris travelled to Buckfastleigh, a rural town identified as experiencing significant rural deprivation. There he met local councillors, community representatives and healthcare professionals, including Pam Barrett from Better Places, which works to tackle social, health and economic inequalities in small rural towns.
Professor Chris Whitty said the visit had highlighted both the challenges and the work being done locally to support communities:
Improving population health across geographically dispersed rural and coastal communities is difficult, with challenges for many residents accessing physical or digital services. Despite these challenges, the local team is doing fantastic work to support the health of their communities.
The visit reflects growing national recognition of the barriers many rural communities face in accessing the “building blocks” of good health, including transport, housing, connectivity and local services, issues that are increasingly being raised by rural organisations and local authorities across England.
NHS Recruits 8,500 Additional Mental Health Workers
The government has announced that 8,500 additional mental health workers have been recruited across the NHS in England since the end of June 2024, meeting a key workforce target ahead of schedule.
The new staff include therapists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses and support roles, and are now working across NHS trusts and community health services.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the increase in workforce is intended to support faster access to care, reduce waiting times and expand the delivery of mental health services within community settings. The announcement comes in the context of rising demand, with around one in five adults in England estimated to be affected by a common mental health condition.
The government states that the additional workforce will help more people receive support earlier and closer to home, including children and young people. It also highlights that up to 900,000 more children now have access to mental health support in schools compared to the same point last year.
This development forms part of the government’s wider 10 Year Health Plan, which includes a focus on improving mental health services and shifting care into community-based provision. NHS mental health spending is forecast to reach £16.1 billion this year, alongside a planned £473 million investment in mental health infrastructure by 2030 to modernise facilities and expand service capacity.
Further policy developments include the recent passage of the Mental Health Act, as well as an ongoing independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism services.
A forthcoming workforce plan is also expected to outline how staffing levels, including mental health roles, will be maintained and developed in the years ahead.
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Kerry Booth, Chief Executive, Rural Services Network:
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Find out more about our recently launched Delivering For All: Rural Realities research here. |
New Research Highlights Digital Barriers To Getting Active
New research from Good Things Foundation and Sport England highlights how digital exclusion is becoming an increasingly important barrier to taking part in sport and physical activity.
The report, Digital inclusion and physical activity: insights and recommendations from user research, explores how digital access, confidence and online experiences shape people’s ability to get active, from finding information about local opportunities to booking sessions and using fitness apps.
Researchers found that digital barriers are often hidden obstacles to participation. These include difficulties affording internet access or suitable devices, low digital confidence, concerns around online safety, and inaccessible or confusing booking systems.
The study draws on research carried out between October 2025 and January 2026 with people experiencing digital exclusion, including older people, disabled people, people with long-term health conditions and those on low incomes.
Among the findings, the report notes that:
- 67% of people now use digital tools to find information about sport and physical activity
- 52% use digital tools to book activities
- Many people still struggle with affordability, online confidence or navigating digital systems.
The report identifies four main digital barriers affecting participation:
- Access to devices and connectivity
- Digital skills and confidence
- Trust and safety online
- User experience and accessibility of platforms.
Researchers also found that trusted local organisations and community hubs can play a vital role in helping people overcome these barriers, particularly where support combines digital inclusion, social connection and physical activity opportunities.
The report calls on organisations across the sport and physical activity sector to better understand the digital needs of the people they support, improve the accessibility of online platforms, maintain non-digital routes to information and booking, and strengthen place-based partnerships with health, community and voluntary sector organisations.
Jo Reynolds, Research and Evaluation Lead at Good Things Foundation, said the findings show how “no one is left behind” when it comes to both getting online and getting active.
The findings contribute to wider discussions around digital inclusion, health inequalities and access to services, particularly for groups already facing barriers to participation in physical activity. While the report is national in scope, many of the issues raised including connectivity, affordability and access to local opportunities reflect the day-to-day challenges for those living in rural and coastal communities across the country.
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Find out more and read the full report here.
National Rural Conference Open For Bookings
You are invited! Join us online Monday 14 - Thursday 17 September 2026 for the National Rural Conference.
Exclusively for RSN members, the conference provides the opportunity for rural stakeholders and local authorities to discuss rural policy and the latest best practice.
Find out more and sign up here today.
RSN Member Exclusive Seminar Programme 2026 – Bookings Now Open
The RSN Member Exclusive Seminar Programme for 2026 is now open for bookings, bringing together industry experts, rural practitioners, and sector leaders to explore the major issues shaping rural communities across England.
Our seminars are a core RSN member benefit, highly interactive, and designed to support learning, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving. Last year we welcomed 450 delegates from across our membership at our seminar events!
The 2026 programme covers a wide range of rural priorities such as; Connectivity, Communities, Economy, Transport, Affordable Housing, Planning, and Health & Care. Sessions are scheduled throughout the year and you can view the full timetable book directly here.
Each seminar offers a valuable opportunity to:
- Hear from leading experts on emerging rural policy, funding, and best practice
- Connect with peers across the country who share similar challenges
- Share insights, case studies and lived experience from your own area
- Shape national conversations on the future of rural services
RSN seminars are not recorded. The real benefit comes from being part of the live discussion, asking questions, exchanging ideas, and engaging directly with presenters and fellow members.
You can also view all RSN events on our Events page.
We look forward to welcoming you to another year of collaborative, insightful and impactful sessions.
We’d love to hear from you - share what you’re proud of
If you have something, you would like us to feature in a future edition, please let us know by clicking here to send us an email.
Spread the word
If you know of other organisations that you think would benefit from joining the Rural Health & Care Alliance, please click here to email us and let us know.
RURAL SERVICES NETWORK
Up to date news on Health and Care
The Rural Services Network provides a useful source of themed news content and data. Check out the latest news on Rural Access to Health and Care Services and Vulnerability, where you’ll find articles on a diverse range of rural issues affecting rural communities.
Latest from RSN Member Insights
RSN Member Insights is the place to discover the statistics that define communities within our membership. It is regularly updated with new analyses, and these will be highlighted in the 'What's New' section of the RSN's Weekly Rural Bulletin. The Rural Bulletin also provides a selection of the most rurally topical news items, so do subscribe and encourage your colleagues to subscribe to what is an invaluable weekly periodical.
| The Rural Health & Care Alliance is a membership organisation administered by the Rural Services Network on behalf of the National Centre for Rural Health & Care. Explore the RHCA service below: |
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