November 4, 2026

Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2026: Health in Rural Areas and Small Towns

The Chief Medical Officer’s reports have been released annually for over 150 years, providing an independent assessment of the state of the public’s health in England. This year, Prof Chris Whitty will present the 2026 report on health in the rural areas and small towns of England.

Health in rural areas is systematically different from that in cities, including a higher proportion of older people, a sparser population with often limited public transport, and specific healthcare challenges for farming, military and other sectors concentrated in rural areas. Per head of population health is often worse than urban areas. The report also provides data on many aspects of rural and small town health including often hidden rural poverty, zoonotic diseases, and the challenges of supporting the recruitment and training of health and social care staff in rural and small town settings. It makes recommendations to improve rural and small town health.

Speakers included:

Prof Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England.

Ellie Houlston, Director of Public Health, Derbyshire County Council, and Report author.

Dr Alex Thompson, Editor-in-Chief of the Report