We’re looking at the service needs of people in rural areas following major life events. We’ll be spending time talking to rural service users to find out about their experiences. This work will take a practical and positive approach, looking for solutions to providing fair access to services for rural communities.

Our pilot study is looking at services for stroke survivors in the Hereford & Worcester area, with help from the local Stroke Association branch. We’ve also commissioned expert review papers to provide up-to-date understanding of the policy, practice and research of each issue:

• Stroke

• Job loss

• Cancer

• Young Carers
  

• Having a baby (coming soon)
  

Read the pilot study report

Over the next year we’ll carry out a substantial study that will look at some of these major life events across different rural areas with distinct characteristics. If additional resources can be found we'd like to expand the study to include other major life events such as dementia.

We also want to include an international element to our study. We’re happy to receive your examples of best practice from other countries.

All our findings will be presented at a solutions event next year. If you’re interested in finding out more about the project or sharing your examples of good practice, email info@ruralcommunities

The steering group helping guide our project include the CCRI, Defra, CAB, Macmillan Cancer Support, Humber and East Riding Rural Pathfinder, Rural Services Network, Department of Health, IDeA,  and Staffordshire County Council on behalf of the LGA