POLICY: Going The Extra Mile

An RCN Scotland report on improving access to community health care for older people in remote and rural Scotland

Going the Extra Mile, published with the support of Age Scotland, sets out the need for a refreshed approach to sustainable health and care services in which services and communities in our most remote and rural areas are genuinely connected.  We set out seven goals to achieve this:

• Shifting resources to the community;
• Taking a whole-system approach to recruitment and retention;
• Developing and supporting the advanced nurse practitioner role;
• Ensuring nurses and other professionals are confident users of technology;
• Significantly improving broadband infrastructure to connect services with patients and support a mobile workforce;
• Bringing services and communities together to change attitudes and improve digital participation, particularly among older people;
• Supporting older people to live independent and active lives.

This report is intended to be a helpful lever to improve access and outcomes for older people.

If you have any comments or would like to find out more information then please contact the RCN Scotland Policy team by emailing them at policyscotland@rcn.org.uk or by filling in the attached feedback form and sending it to Policy, RCN Scotland, 42 South Oswald Road, Edinburgh, EH9 2HH