'More money needed' for rural health services

More money is needed for rural health services because of the extra costs of delivering them over a wider area, according to a senior Cumbrian official.

Colin Cox, director of public health for Cumberland Council, said national funding mechanisms for the NHS and councils did not fully reflect rural areas' needs.

England's chief medical officer Prof Sir Chris Whitty, who visited Cumberland in June, has published a report on health in rural areas, which highlighted ageing populations and difficulty accessing services.

The Department for Health and Social Care said it was taking action to close the gap in services for those living in rural areas and investing a "record" £14bn in GP services.

Cox said he showed Sir Chris the isolation and deprivation, as well as the community spirit, in some of Cumberland's villages and small towns when he visited to help inform his report.

The annual report, this year focusing on rural areas and small towns, notes challenges including the health issues of an ageing population and difficulty accessing services in remote areas.

Cox said: "Delivering services in somewhere as large and rural as Cumberland is more expensive and I think that's not adequately reflected in some of the national funding mechanisms."

He cited as an example the fact Cumberland had two general hospitals for a population of of 275,000, which he said "you would never see" in an urban area with the same number of people.

Caldbeck GP Richard Massey said he met Sir Chris when he visited the village and emphasised the value of voluntary organisations that support the NHS.

But he told the BBC he also felt funding for rural surgeries did not reflect the extra costs they faced, such as travelling further for home visits.

"When decisions are made on the assumption that we all live in a neighbourhood over a few square miles, that doesn't always translate into how we deliver healthcare in general practice," he said.

In a statement Minister of State for Public Health, Dame Diana Johnson, said: "Where you live shouldn't determine the healthcare you receive, which is why we are taking action to close the gap for people in small towns and rural communities.

"We're bringing more care closer to home through Neighbourhood Health and Community Diagnostic Centres, investing a record £14bn in GP services and making NHS funding fairer, so people can get the care they need, wherever they live."

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