The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Chief Medical Adviser to the government, Sir Chris Whitty, has visited Devon as part of a tour of the country’s rural towns and communities.
His fact-finding mission is looking at the health challenges for people in small towns and rural areas, for an annual report he will publish for government later this year.
On his visit, he met senior officers and councillors from Devon County Council’s Public Health Devon team, as well as representatives from Trading Standards and the council’s Communities and Active Devon teams, at County Hall, Exeter.
Sir Chris wants to understand what the challenges are in respect of good health for people in small towns, and what local authorities, the NHS, and community partners are doing to improve it.
The availability of good quality affordable housing and the issue of homelessness were among the topics highlighted by the council as a challenge in Devon.
Sir Chris was told about the challenges around rural deprivation, food insecurity, and fuel poverty.
He heard about the health inequalities for people living in urban and rural Devon, the challenge of rural deprivation and exclusion, particularly in relation to access to services.
He was told about findings from a recent Devon Youth Council survey, where young people highlighted the barriers that they experience living in rural communities – a need for better local public transport, and more reliable access to broadband for example. And of the work that young people and the council are doing to improve the range of things and activities that young people can access.
He also heard about the challenges that young people in rural areas have accessing education, training, and employment opportunities.
Devon’s aging population was also highlighted as a challenge, with health and adult social care services supporting one of the highest percentages of older people in the country.
Sir Chris was later taken on his visit to Buckfastleigh, a rural town that ranks high on the rural deprivation index.
There he met the local councillors, the Mayor, GP and heard from Pam Barrett, of ‘Better Places’, a community interest company set up to tackle health, social, and economic inequalities in Buckfastleigh and other small rural towns in Devon. He also took the opportunity to walk around the town visiting the library, the lido and park.
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