Rural Co-Design and Collaboration: Maximising Rural Community Assets to Reduce Place-Based Health Inequalities

Community-based services like exercise groups, outdoor activities, art therapies and peer support are increasingly being ‘prescribed’ to address mental health conditions, sedentary lifestyles and health inequalities. Despite greater recognition of the potential benefits, such interventions are not universally available or accessible. This is particularly true in rural areas, where the extent of social isolation, deprivation and health inequality can remain hidden.

The collaboration's aim is to maximise the use of existing community assets (e.g. museums, archive centres, libraries and green spaces) and develop new ways of integrating them with mainstream healthcare in order to inform service commissioning, improve services, increase community resilience and reduce rural health inequalities.

By working closely with communities, healthcare professionals and third sector organisations, the project aims to maximise the use of local assets such as museums, libraries and green spaces to:

- promote health and wellbeing
- reduce health inequalities

The project will establish local collaborative groups to identify key resources, health needs and gaps in data in six rural communities in the Scottish Highlands. The groups will share their learning and develop a toolkit of value to other rural communities, service planners and policymakers.