Rural areas have experienced a considerable reduction in facilities over the last 20 years.  Health centres, post offices and libraries have all been centralised due to cuts in funding.  On top of this, there is continuing cuts to bus services meaning that people have to rely on alternative transport solutions, which are usually car based.   

There are many people however who do not have access to cars such as the elderly and the young and also those whose every move is monitored by their abuser.  In only September of last year, Peak FM reported how “many rural residents found gaps in services and were often isolated from accessing care due to lack of public transport” and that the farming communities of the High Peak had reported that “loneliness and isolation” were their main concerns. 

We are very lucky in Derbyshire that our domestic abuse service providers, The Elm Foundation, Crossroads and Derbyshire Wish are spaced out throughout our rather elongated county and cover the whole of Derbyshire.  However, it is still incredibly hard for some victims to get help especially if their mobile phone use is monitored and they have no access to a car or bus service.

Thanks for reading, 

Emily

https://www.peakfm.co.uk/news/local/report-finds-rural-residents-in-derbyshire-are-struggling-to-access-healthcare/ 

 

 

Kindly funded by Derbyshire's Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner