Recommendation 29

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted in Part

Improving mental health has been identified as one of the priority drivers for the well-being mission, which was initially set out in the Levelling Up White Paper and is subsequently being refined by government following further analytical work and engagement to define a clear, credible, and ambitious mission. The government has committed to rural proofing policy making and its implementation to ensure that the unique challenges of rural communities are considered. The annual rural-proofing report is the key tool in highlighting this work. The second of those reports, Delivering for Rural England, was published September 2022. It sets out further details on the government’s approach to levelling up rural areas. The third report will be out later this year. Online access to mental health services provides a solution for overcoming accessibility issues in rural areas, and realising these opportunities is dependent on digital connectivity. We are investing £5 billion in Project Gigabit is our flagship programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband. As set out in Unleashing Rural Opportunity, BDUK (BuildingDigital UK), the executive agency of the Department for Science Innovation and Technology, is responsible for broadband rollout, and expects to have procured all regional contracts by the end of 2024. The Department for Transport (DfT) will look for opportunities to work with Defra, DHSC, and NHSE to maximise health outcomes for rural communities through the transport system. DfT recently published its report “Future of Transport: supporting rural transport innovation” which considers how innovation and emerging transport technologies can improve rural communities’ access to services, which will include healthcare. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will benefit rural areas by giving communities more of a say on local plans, by a new infrastructure levy able to deliver as much, if not more, affordable housing than at present, and by a new requirement for infrastructure providers and other bodies to help local authorities in drafting their local plans. As part of the third phase of the NHS response to Covid-19, NHSE asked ‘Integrated Care Systems’ (ICSs) to develop digitally enabled care pathways in ways which increase inclusion, including reviewing who is using new primary, outpatient, and mental health digitally enabled care pathways. Digital solutions in mental health enable remote multidisciplinary team functioning and information sharing to reduce administrative burden and to improve patient experience, including patients with specific needs. A prime example of these are virtual appointments, that are today used across a range of services and are proving particularly beneficial for users in areas where services are often far away from people’s homes and communities. For instance, NHS Talking Therapies services provide evidence- based psychological therapies to people with anxiety disorders and depression. Since the onset of the pandemic, remote access to Talking Therapies has increased significantly to around 90%. This means patients can access therapy from the comfort of their own homes where they choose to do so. For rural communities where access to Talking Therapies may have been compromised in the past because it required long journeys to community hubs, patients now have a greater choice in how they receive therapy, and hence easier access. Even though many rural communities have poor internet coverage, therapy is being delivered via telephone, SMS messaging, email or via digital packages that do not require the patient and therapist to be online simultaneously. This allows citizens to work around lifestyle and geographical factors, leveraging the power of digital accessibility.