Lack of transport to mental health services is causing a crisis in England’s rural communities, MPs have said.
Farmers and vets in particular have faced high levels of mental distress, MPs on the cross-party environment, food and rural affairs committee say.
A report, compiled from 50 submissions and 11 oral evidence sessions, has found isolation, poor public transport and a relative lack of digital connectivity have contributed to poor mental health outcomes for all categories of people across rural communities in England.
The lack of connectivity has caused social and physical isolation, with people unable to seek, access and return home from mental health services. They also reported a lack of social contact, so were less able to discuss problems with peers.
Rural areas also face relative poverty, and farmers have had to face particular stresses recently, the report says, including unpredictable weather and animal health crises. The report has found the UK farming community has lower levels of mental wellbeing than the population at large.
MPs also highlighted changing and uncertain government policies that can affect their incomes as well as mental health. Respondents said uncertainty around the new environmental land management schemes, which replace EU subsidies for farmers, has led to mental distress.
They have called for a more joined-up approach, pointing out that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) does not seem to have prioritised rural mental health in its policies.
The report says: “Defra is clearly responsible for working with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to ensure mental health policy and services are rural proofed, it is unclear what priority, resources and energy Defra has assigned to achieving impact in this area.” They recommend that the two departments work on a rural mental health policy.
The MPs said Defra, DHSC, the NHS and the Department for Transport should set out rural transport policies that provide rural communities with access to health services as good as the access urban communities enjoy.
The chair of the environment, food and rural affairs committee, Sir Robert Goodwill, said: “Rural communities face a unique set of challenges. High on the list are limited access to mental health services, poor public transport and unpredictable crises like animal diseases.
“All this has an inevitable toll on people’s mental health – and yet the mental health services people in rural areas can access are few and far between. Rural mental health needs to be a top priority for Defra – and the department should take the lead on this report’s recommendations for much more joined-up action across government.”
A Defra spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting our rural communities and ensuring businesses and people in remote areas have the same opportunities as those in inner cities. Improving mental health is fundamental to reaching these goals and we are committed to providing the public services that rural areas deserve. Alongside the £2.3bn extra a year being invested into the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England, we are also providing mental health and wellbeing support through the Future Farming Resilience Fund and working with charities, such as Yellow Wellies, to ensure farmers can access the support they need.”
