AGM
We had a successful AGM on 17 March – it was followed by our Steering Group and Full Board Meeting.
Parliamentary Inquiry
The Parliamentary Inquiry has now concluded and we anticipate having a first draft ready for internal consultation by the end of May with full publication planned for the early autumn.
Rural IMD
We have made considerable progress in looking at the application of the University of East Anglia re-spin on the English Indices of Deprivation to recognise the impact of rurality in more detail. We have maps showing the distribution in terms of the worst two deciles for Devon, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. We are having a test discussion on 22 April and more information on the development of our involvement with the index will follow.
Rural Proofing
We are currently developing an action learning set to look at the on the ground application of the rural proofing toolkit. We have interest from a number of localities and would be really interested in hearing if you might like to learn more or get involved.
NHS White Paper
We are currently running a rural analysis of the NHS White Paper in conjunction with the Rural Services Network and will publish our analysis in early May.
NHS Confed
We are thrilled to have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NHS Confederation. This will involve amongst other things a “kick off” seminar and a community of practice for rural practitioners. If you would like to get involved please let us know.