The inaugural meeting of Northumberland’s Rural Health Advisory Commission took place in Alnwick on Tuesday 17 September. Organisation leaders across the health and care system, key stakeholders and local MPs for Northumberland came together to discuss the vision for the commission and the quality of the debate during the meeting clearly demonstrated everyone’s commitment to progressing with a clear mandate.
There were a number of areas identified for the commission to focus on which include:
· Miles travelled / travelling time
· Transport
· Voluntary sector joint working including social isolation
· Digital
· Economic/social/environmental impact
· Early diagnosis
· Domestic abuse
· Mental health – anti stigma and peer support
· Cost of care
· Making every contact count
We will be prioritising these areas and developing realistic work plans to guide us in our future work.