In April 2024, Scottish Rural Action collaborated with three rural community healthcare advocates - Ron Gunn, Caithness Health Action Team, Neil Campbell, NHS SOS and Dr Gordon Baird, Galloway Community Hospital Action Group - to host an online meeting exploring healthcare provision in rural and island areas of Scotland. Representatives from various advocacy groups participated, highlighting common experiences of health inequalities across different Health Board areas.
We were also joined by the newly established National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, hearing their priorities for the year ahead – Leadership and Best Practice, Research and Evaluation, Recruitment and Retention, and Education and Training.
The meeting emphasised the need for enhanced support and recognition of rural patients' lived expertise, local understanding, and proposed solutions to improve healthcare delivery in their communities. You can download the report below:
