Natural Heritage - a pathway to health

The natural environment can play a key role in improving public health and wellbeing, says a major report from the Countryside Council for Wales.

Researchers from the Institute of Rural Wales (IRH) spent a year studying what impact the natural environment - everything from allotments, urban parks, woodland and lakes to the countryside, mountains, rivers and sea - has on health and wellbeing.

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Under-graduate medical education in a rural setting - the students' perspective

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Rural under-graduate medical education - a review of the literature

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Ensuring equitable access to health and social care for rural and remote communities

Dr Iain Mungall - (Iain@imungall.wanadoo.co.uk)

The ideas in this paper developed following the meeting of the Rural Health Forum (RHF) at the RCP in London in 2001, a meeting attended by the then Secretary of State for Health, Frank Dobson. Many of the delegates had expressed concerns that the Medical royal colleges were, at least in part, responsible for closing services in remote and rural communities. It seemed appropriate to respond to this criticism, define the issues, and start a dialogue.

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Rural Health Intelligence Programme: Main Findings and Recommendations

This eighteen-month research study (completed in summer 2003) was undertaken by the Institute of Rural Health on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales to strengthen the evidence base for rural health issues to inform policy that may influence the health and well being of rural populations in Wales.

The aim of the research programme was threefold:

• To provide a baseline with respect to the health of people in rural Wales and identify key datasets for future monitoring
• To identify good practice in national and local health policy where rurality has been taken into consideration
• To identify benefits and limitations of initiatives specifically targeted at improving rural health.

This report is the fourth report in the series.

This report is currently only available in hard copy. A PDF version will be available soon.

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Rural proofing the new GMS contract

This report, produced by the Institute of Rural Health and funded by the General Practitioners' Defence Fund, examines the new General Medical Services contract from the rural perspective, in order to ascertain the implications of the contract for rural GPs, rural primary care services and rural patients in the UK.

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Volunteering On Prescription

An evaluation report of a project to encourage the uptake of volunteering by people with mental health problems.

Think Rural Health Data

A guide for those interested in the analysis and use of data relevant to health issues in rural communities. Drawing on the key issues raised in Health Data - a Health Check, this booklet also includes a CDRom with the full Master table from that report.

Jenny Deaville, Kate Mitchinson, Louise Wilson

Rural Health Intelligence Programme

This eighteen-month research study was undertaken by the Institute of Rural Health on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales to strengthen the evidence base for rural health issues to inform policy that may influence the health and well being of rural populations in Wales.

The aim of the research programme was threefold:

• To provide a baseline with respect to the health of people in rural Wales and identify key datasets for future monitoring.
• To identify good practice in national and local health policy where rurality has been taken into consideration.
• To identify benefits and limitations of initiatives specifically targeted at improving rural health.

Eight reports were produced by the Institute of Rural Health for the Welsh Assembly Government as part of the Rural Health Intelligence Programme:

• A review of the literature: measurement issues in rural health - English Version / Welsh Version
• A review of the literature: access and service models in rural health - English Version / Welsh Version
• A review of the literature: social inclusion and rural health - English Version / Welsh Version
• Rural Health Intelligence Programme: main findings and recommendations (awaiting publication by Welsh Assembly Government)
• The state of rural health and well-being in Wales (awaiting publication by Welsh Assembly Government)
• Rural health policy review (awaiting publication by Welsh Assembly Government)
• The use of health impact assessment in rural Wales (awaiting publication by Welsh Assembly Government)
• Contemporary rural health issues: intelligence from Wales and beyond (awaiting publication by Welsh Assembly Government)

For more information contact Research Manager: Dr Jenny Deaville jennyd@rural-health.ac.uk

Rural Proofing for Health: A Toolkit for Primary Care Organisations

Helen Swindlehurst, March 2005

The Department of Health (DH) and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) funded the development of ‘Rural Proofing for Health: A Toolkit for Primary Care Organisations’. The Toolkit assists service providers with rural proofing service delivery and aims to help those responsible for the design and delivery of health services to consider the rural dimension. The Toolkit aims to assist careful consideration of service design to ensure that rural communities are not disadvantaged in relation to their needs for health services.

An electronic version of the Toolkit is available for free download from www.ruralhealthgoodpractice.org.uk

For more information please contact Alice Earp, Institute of Rural Health, Gregynog Hall, Tregynon, Nr. Newtown, Powys SY16 3PW