Devon County Council has welcomed a major new report from England’s Chief Medical Officer which says the health challenges facing rural communities must be treated as a national, not simply a local, issue.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty’s annual report highlights the way that rural poverty can be hidden, while longer distances, limited public transport and difficulties accessing health services can deepen inequalities.
The report calls on government and the NHS to recognise these challenges as a national responsibility and support locally designed services.
The findings echo many of the issues Sir Chris heard about when he visited Devon in May, meeting Devon County Council’s public health team and professional partners before travelling to Buckfastleigh to hear directly from the community.
Devon features prominently in the report. More than 842,000 people live in the county and 26.3% are aged 65 or over, compared with 18.7% nationally.
The report also highlights Devon’s hidden pockets of rural deprivation, limited public transport, shortage of affordable housing and difficulties accessing services.
Devon County Council now is calling on government and the NHS to put rural need at the heart of funding and service planning, including better ways of measuring rural deprivation so that small pockets of need are not hidden by wider averages.
The report also recommends improving national measures of rural deprivation so public health resources reach those who need them most.

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