Rural Health Equity Chats Return in 2026
Join the converstation on the 20th January when we will be talking about living with dementia in rural and coastal communities.
Student Intern Project Presentations
Three students from the University of Aberdeen worked with Rural Health Compass over the summer. Each student produced a report and presented their work during an end of placement webinar. Find the links to the presentations below.
An Assessment of Funding Strategies and Infrastructure Development in Powys
Rural Health Compass on the Lancet Primary Care Podcast
Dr. Veronika Rasic, a rural family doctor and the founder of Rural Health Compass, shared her journey from clinical practice to becoming an advocate in rural health, both in Europe and globally through organizations like WONCA and Rural Seeds.
Rural Health Compass is a social enterprise dedicated to co-creating effective health policies and services for diverse rural communities across the UK and Europe. Dr. Rasic emphasized, a “one-size-fits-all” approach simply doesn’t work; genuine solutions require active community engagement and rural-specific insights.
She spoke about Rural Health Compass’s achievements, including the Rural Road to Health podcast, which amplifies rural stories, and the Rural Health Equity Chat, a forum connecting advocates across sectors. Dr. Rasic also shared valuable lessons learned, highlighting the power of collaboration in rural advocacy.
Looking ahead, Dr. Rasic envisions rural primary care being recognized as an innovative and vital part of global health systems, supported by sustained investment and genuine community engagement. She believes rural communities are powerful agents of health equity, and Rural Health Compass is committed to supporting them to thirve.
Rural Health Compass is excited to welcome three masters students form the University of Aberdeen joining us from June to August 2025!
They will be gaining experience in rural health and policy in the UK context. The work they do will help gather and synthesise evidence for the work that Rural Health Compass aims to explore with the Rural Health Equity Chat Community around a strategy for rural health equity.
They will share their work and findings in August 2025 with the Rural Health Equity Chat Community.
We look forward to supporting you during your placement!
Rural Health Equity Chat Community
Upcoming sessions:
20th May – Sport and Physical Activity in Rural and Coastal Communities
17th June – Community Banking in Rural and Coastal Areas
22nd July – Exploring Values & Principles for Collaborative Approaches to Rural Health Equity
12.30 – 1.30 pm BST
To join the community and receive email invites please complete this form: https://forms.gle/33fyiZzGCQQpX2Hd9
10th Rural Health Equity Chat – Creativity and Wellbeing in Rural Areas
22nd April 2025 | 12:30 – 1:30 pm BST
Olivia Toye will join us to present insights from her research into enablers and barriers to creative health in rural settings.
Join the community and receive email invites please complete this form: https://forms.gle/33fyiZzGCQQpX2Hd9
9th Rural Health Equity Chat – Meeting the Needs of Young People in Rural and Coastal Communities
18th March 2025 | 12:30 -1:30 pm GMT
Gemma Hyde will join us to share the work that the Town and Country Planning Association have been doing to support youth.
Join via the link.
Join the community and receive email invites please complete this form: https://forms.gle/33fyiZzGCQQpX2Hd9
8th Rural Health Equity Chat – Healthy Ageing in Rural and Remote Areas
We will discuss the Resolution Foundation report: “Ageing in the fast and slow lane: Examining geographic gaps in ageing“.
18th February 2025 | 12.30 -1.30 pm
Join via the link
Join the community and receive email invites please complete this form: https://forms.gle/33fyiZzGCQQpX2Hd9
Rural Health Compass is developing a training program for rural clinicians, community groups and organizations to help them develop a better understanding of health policy and how to advocate for change to tackle health inequities at local, regional and national level.
Help us to develop training that is relevant and useful to you by completing our Health Policy Advocacy Training Assessment Tool and receive a 40% discount on the programme when it is launched in the second half of 2025.
Rural Health Compass can support you in finding and implementing solutions for rural health and care challenges.
We understand that a “one size fits all” approach will not be effective. This is why we take time to understand the systems and context you work in. Our solutions take into account local and regional opportunities and identify levers that can be used to achieve positive impact.
Book a free discovery call here: https://calendly.com/ruralhealthcompass/30min?month=2024-10
The 5th Rural Health Equity Chat will be held on the 22nd October 2024 via Microsoft Teams.
Joint the conversation on rural health equity in the UK context and find out more about projects and solutions that are being implemented.
From January 2025 Rural Health Compass will be hosting a Rural Health Equity Chat for the European region. Join the community and receive the latest updates: https://forms.gle/iFtxuGZdUzr6cB86A
🏡 Are you living in a rural or remote area of Europe?
🏥 What do you need from healthcare and social care?
We need to listen to rural people and communities and design services WITH them or we will be left to wonder why we are not getting good results.
⚡Rural Health Compass will be holding a series of online consultations between October and December 2024 with rural citizens, rural civil society and NGOs to explore what rural citizens in Europe want from their health and social care systems.
🗣️ If you want to join the conversation and help us develop recommendations for European rural health, please express your interest here by 30th September: https://forms.gle/b5Uyi1qUgyydi9ic8
The 4th Rural Health Equity Chat is a space for the members of the Rural Health Equity group of the Health Equity Network to meet and discuss topics relevant to rural communities.
During this meeting we will review a document presenting the work being done in different areas of the UK focusing on rural health equity and recommendations form the group ahead of the HEN Conference in October.
19th September 2024
Join via the link: 4th Rural Health Equity Chat | Microsoft Teams | Meet-up-Join
The Business of Healthcare Podcast
Listen to RHC founder, Dr Veronika Rasic, speak about rural health, workforce challenges, the importance or developing rural training pathways and more with Tara Humphrey.
3rd Rural Health Equity Chat is a space for the members of the Rural Health Equity group of the Health Equity Network to meet and discuss topics relevant to rural communities.
July 26th at 12.30 (GMT+1)
This month we are exploring how to highlight the challenges faced by rural communities to encourage action.
Join via the link: https://teams.live.com/meet/9442073574756?p=szecO9v6D5WjXs0YJx
Our Founder, Dr Veronika Rasic, took part in the Edinburgh Innovations Power Her Up programme. This programme supports start-ups and provides a 8 week course through Keystone. This course covers business skills and provides mentoring.
As part of the programme, Rural Health Compass has been awarded a £2000 grant which will support us in achieving our mission to address rural health inequalities in Europe.
2nd Rural Health Equity Chat is a space for the members of the Rural Health Equity group of the Health Equity Network to meet and discuss topics relevant to rural communities.
June 28th at 12.30 (GMT+1)
This month we are exploring the social determinants of health and health inequity in rural and remote areas of the UK.
Join via the link: https://teams.live.com/meet/9447404989162?p=0HxQy1GWARd1wXZbWa
Interreg Europe is hosting a webinar on resilient healthcare in rural areas.
Register here: https://www.interregeurope.eu/policy-learning-platform/events/resilient-healthcare-in-rural-areas
The Rural Health Equity group of the Health Equity Network will be holding an informal online chat on Thursday the 23rd May.
This is an opportunity to meet group members, find out what is happening on the topic of rural health equity in the UK and beyond. Join the conversation, find collaborators, share ideas and get inspired.
Everyone with an interest in rural health and wellbeing is welcome.
Link to join: https://teams.live.com/meet/9440077092866?p=49VgUcOYmO5TaO1H
Let’s Talk Primary Health Care
This is a online panel discussion hosted by WHO Europe.
Rural Health Compass Founder, Dr Veronika Rasic, is taking part in this session on the 24th of April.
Topic: Bridging Rural Access Gaps for Greater Equity
This session brings together frontline practitioners, researchers and policy makers who will share their experience and explore ways in which rural health access could be better addressed for rural communities in Europe.
Register for the session here: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HBDdlVL0TeiwxDRQMh-tFA#/registration
Access to Women’s Health Services in Rural Europe
Rural Health Compass is launching an exploratory survey to identify the experiences of rural women in Europe in regard to their access to women’s health services during their life course. Both women and men can complete the survey to share their experience and perspectives on the topic. Participation in the survey is voluntary.
It is important to us to amplify the voices of rural people and rural communities to enable better policy development and outcomes for rural Europe.
Access the survey here: https://forms.gle/hwgXhoHg6nLi89Nb8
Exploring the Experience of Patients in Rural & Coastal Communities in the UK
This exploratory survey looks at access to health services in rural and coastal communities in the United Kingdom. The UK Patient Association have supported this work.
The results will be presented at the EURIPA Rural Health Forum in Lincoln in June 2024.
Access the survey here: https://forms.gle/ZZHmBEkQywJNSjLdA
Rural Health in Europe – End of 2023 Update
The end of 2023 has seen some important milestones for health and rural development.
The EU Council adopted the EULong-term Vision for Rural Areas (LTVRA) in November 2023. This acknowledges the role and importance of rural areas in economic growth, green transition, digital transformation, climate change, food security and preserving cultural heritage. The conclusions also recognise the importance of a holistic approach for rural areas due to their complexity and diversity and calls for more investment into rural areas. Another important development is the call for the EU Commission to develop a full EU Rural Strategy. It will be interesting to follow this work going forward as it may support member states in developing their own National Rural Strategy.
What does this mean for rural health?
The LTVRA calls for improved access to services including health and social care, it also calls for empowering communities and building social resilience. These factors are important for improving the health and wellbeing of rural communities. There have already been interesting case studies throughout Europe. I hope to share more details on these with you next year.
A recent policy brief form the European Commission highlights the opportunities and challenges for remote rural areas in the EU.
Some points from the brief that stand out for me are:
- There are 37 million people (9%) living in remote areas of Europe.
- The strength of these areas lies in their natural resources (biodiversity, sustainable ecosystems), it is important that we preserve the value of those resources by implementing green and sustainable solutions.
- Many of these areas are important to the economy for the tourism they support. Tourism can bring growth to the local economy, it can also have a negative impact on nature and the community during off seasons.
- Remote areas continue to have a decreasing and aging population.
- Only 2% of these areas are considered to have good socio-economic conditions. Much of this is due to distance and access to services, poor infrastructure and lower household incomes.
You can find the full brief here: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135398
There is a lot to reflect on as we move towards 2024. How can we use the momentum that has begun to form around rural issues and use it to reduce rural inequities?
Author: Dr Veronika Rasic
13/12/2023
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