RHODA GRANT: Rural poverty still largely hidden so little is done for those worst off
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Last week, we experienced serious weather disruptions which affected health appointments, travel plans and working lives. This is something we’re all accustomed to living in Highland but this year, it felt more serious as we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis and our NHS is in turmoil.
The challenges that exist in accessing health in Highland appear more pronounced in this weather. I would guess that the majority of health appointments missed last week were of those living in remote areas. Those dependant on public transport were unable to get to GP appointments because the bus services were either delayed or cancelled.
In the Scottish Parliament last week we were debating a recent Health and Sport Committee report which highlighted that health inequalities had not improved since 2015.
From Inverness town centre, if you were to walk twenty minutes in one direction and then twenty minutes in the other, you would find life expectancy changes by almost two decades. These areas share the same hospital, the same schools and the same local authority. Yet their life expectancy is vastly different, this is surely unacceptable?
In rural areas, this divide is largely hidden because people, regardless of their wealth, share the same postcode and live side by side. The way in which statistics are gathered does not recognise this making rural poverty largely hidden meaning very few interventions target those rural dwellers who need it most.
It is heart-breaking that in the 21st century the divide within our society with regard to wealth, and with it avoidable differences in people's health and life expectancy, has increased.
The report emphasises that we must address inequalities throughout society. The Scottish Government can make a difference with their existing powers. Two of these, that I am particularly concerned about, are addressing fuel poverty and assisting everyone to have access to food.
Sadly, the policies they have devised to deal with fuel poverty work against those who do not have access to mains gas. I raised this again in Parliament last week, pointing out that heat pumps do not work in drafty old houses and those struggling to pay energy costs cannot afford to fully insulate their homes. There must be alternative heating solutions made available, such as BioLPG.
I am glad to see that Highland Council has sought a review of how firefighter services can be improved to better serve rural communities. This is an issue I have also raised with Scottish Government and with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on several occasions.
Our firefighters on the ground do an incredible job in challenging environments however, I fear that firefighter cover is spread thinly across Highland and that it may take hours for an appropriate number of firefighters to reach an incident. I am continuing to investigate and will hopefully receive adequate answers in the near future.
To end this column, I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.
