The Rural Health Workstream is working towards improving health outcomes for the rural Canterbury population by enabling appropriate access to health care services in rural areas.

The Workstream is currently working to achieve equity of outcome across Canterbury by reviewing and planning the organisation and structure of rural health care services in context of the wider Canterbury health system.  This includes defining rural in the Canterbury context, promoting clinically and fiscally sustainable health services in rural areas, encouraging and recommending innovative solutions that support rural health services, and providing recommendations with a rural focus to other CCN Workstreams and Service Level Alliances.

The new Hurunui Hauora Advisory Group (HHAG) was formed late in 2021 to provide leadership for ongoing improvements and monitoring of the region’s access to health services.

18 people from across the district make up the dynamic group, with various perspectives, experiences and connections including farming, shearing, parenting, health providers, lived experience, migrant community, education, child and youth and older people, and people who identify as Māori and Filipino.

The group replaces the Hurunui Health Services Development Group (HHSDG), which was formed in 2015 to provide oversight to health service improvement and sustainability initiatives in the Hurunui region, and will report into the RHWS. 

The Oxford Community Health Advisory Group was formed late in 2020, to work alongside the with the Oxford Health Provider Alliance to progress changes that will benefit the community, and make local health services more sustainable.

These groups replace the Oxford and Surrounding Areas Health Service Development Group which was formed in 2016 to work with local health service providers and the community to develop a Model of Care for the Oxford and surrounding areas. 

The Model of Care was approved by the CCN Alliance Leadership Team in late 2018 and endorsed by the Canterbury DHB Board in early 2019. Some significant developments included work around making transport more sustainable; having additional support for mental health services; and work to create a locally-based 24/7 observation service.