Access to services for deprived and socially excluded rural people will continue to decline unless we start thinking and doing things differently. In the vision published today, ruralnet|uk's Chief Executive, Simon Berry says,
"We need new paradigms for rural service delivery that focus more on the integrated needs of service users and less on the 'needs' of service suppliers.
"Although ICT is revolutionising service delivery we still need appropriate locations within rural communities to deliver the physical elements of essential services."
The vision includes a framework for the analysis of services according to their information, expertise, physical and social elements. This enables suppliers to see which elements can be delivered using the telephone and ICT and which components need a local physical presence.
The vision then goes on to discuss the co-location of the physical elements of different services in multi-service outlets. It concludes that the rare examples of true service integration are generally driven by those who need the services and not by those who supply them. Full integration requires true partnership working across sectors and this, more often than not, is managed by the voluntary and community sector (VCS).
Notes to editors
1. The vision paper is available to download free as follows:
Executive Summary: http://www.ruralnetuk.org/downloads/vision2004_exec.pdf (31K)
Full Report: http://www.ruralnetuk.org/downloads/vision2004_full.pdf (8.4M)
Text only: http://www.ruralnetuk.org/downloads/vision2004_text.pdf (2.2M)
Front Cover only: http://www.ruralnetuk.org/downloads/vision2004_cover.pdf (6.2M)
2. ruralnet|uk is a registered charity 1089238
3. For further information about ruralnet|uk please visit www.ruralnetuk.org or call 0845 1300 411.
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