Ashburton and rural health services covers a wide range of services provided in rural areas including rural hospital specialist medicine and community services. Ashburton Hospital provides secondary level hospital care, led by a specialist rural medical workforce, working closely with Christchurch tertiary services. There are also a number of smaller rural hospitals in Akaroa, Darfield, Oxford, Ellesmere, Kaikoura and Waikari, all of which work closely with local primary care services.

Health services provided include: general medicine, day procedures, palliative care, maternity services, specialist outpatient services, and assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services, and long-term care for the elderly, including dementia care, diagnostic services, and meals on wheels.

Also offered in Ashburton are rural community services: day care, district nursing, home support and clinical nurse specialist outreach services, including respiratory, cardiac, diabetes, wound care, urology, continence and stoma therapy.

The division also operates Tuarangi Home, which provides hospital-level care for the elderly in Ashburton and in 2011 introduced rest home dementia care for the elderly.