Somerset's Big Conversation 2025

NHS Somerset are on the road again with an ambition to have conversations with as many Somerset residents as possible to help guide future planning.

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Complete our online feedback survey

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Privacy Notice

Events

attended

Conversations

so far

Pieces of additional feedback

so far

Online survey responses

so far

A young woman writing a message on a piece of paper. You can't read what it says

Students at Strode college Big Conversation

Our Somerset engagement roadshow is coming to your community, to hear your views

Earlier this year, we travelled across the county to speak to as many Somerset residents as possible about the government’s new 10 Year Health Plan, built on three key shifts: Hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention.

We heard from a wide range of diverse people and communities about their experiences, views and ideas for the future of healthcare services in Somerset. As well as submitting all of the feedback to the national campaign and for a South West regional analysis, we have analysed all of the feedback for us to utilise in planning healthcare in Somerset and we will shortly be sharing our findings reports.

We are currently waiting for the governments health plans which will be published in the summer and all of the feedback we heard will be used to help shape Somerset’s strategy.

Click hear to read more about our 10 Year Health Plan engagement

However, our commitment to hearing people’s voices and ensuring that we work collaboratively with the public and patients doesn’t stop. Our engagement roadshow, Somerset’s Big Conversation, will help us to better understand peoples experiences, knowledge and understanding on some of our current key workstreams:

What community services closer to home looks like – this will feed into current and future work following the 10 Year Plan publication
Key campaigns we have been running and how successfully these have reached and affected people in Somerset
Raising awareness of research opportunities and understanding any barriers to participation
How we can best support people while they wait for elective operations
What experiences you have had of local healthcare services and where improvements need to be made

Our Hypertension campaign

Our Smokefree campaign

Our Research programme

Your voice matters.

Whether it’s about GP services, mental health support, hospital care, or how we support people closer to home – we want to listen.

Through local events, community activities, and an online survey, we are starting a conversation that puts people at the heart of shaping Somerset’s health and care future.

Please get in touch with the Engagement Team at somicb.engagement@nhs.net

Events coming up

The following events are open to the general public. We are also attending events arranged by organisations, groups or communities. Please see map below for the full list of engagement events we are attending this summer.

Date	Event name	Location	Address	Time
Tues 12 August	Glastonbury Market	Glastonbury	St Dunstan's Car Park, BA6 9EH	9am - 2pm
Fri 15 August	Dunster Show	Dunster	Dunster Castle Lawns, Dunster, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 6NY	8am - 6pm
Sun 17 August	Mid Somerset Show	Shepton Mallet	Mid-Somerset Showground, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4GF	9am - 6pm
Thurs 21 August	South Petherton Library	South Petherton	St James' Corner, TA13 5BS	11am - 3pm
Sat 23 August	Bridgwater Food and Drink Festival	Bridgwater	Cornhill. High Street	9.30am - 3pm
Tues 26 August	Wincanton Cares - Community Talking Table	Wincanton	Morrisons, Southgate Road, BA9 9RP	10am - 12pm
Wed 27 August	Wacky Wednesday	Wellington	Wellington Park	11am - 12.45pm
Tues 2 September	Williton Talking Cafe	Williton	Williton Pavillion Hall, Roberts Street, TA4 4PG	1pm - 3pm
Sat 20 September	Chard Market	Chard	Fore Street, Chard, TA20 1PP	9am - 1pm
Sat 27 September	Crewkerne Farmers Market	Crewkerne	Falkland Square, TA18 7JS	9am - 1pm
Sat 27 September	Taunton Together	Taunton	The Square, Taunton TA4 2JT	10am - 4pm

Past events

The following events were those we promoted above, which were open to the general public. We have also been attending other events arranged by organisations, groups and communities. The full list and details of all of our engagement activity across the summer will be included in our engagement roadshow report published later this year, which will be shared online, through our engagement networks and made available to the public.

Date	Event name	Location
Tues 27 May	Everyone Active Community Event	Taunton
Sat 7- Sun 8 June	Home Farm Fest - ticketed event	Yeovil
Fri 20 June	Minehead Health Fayre	Minehead
Sat 28 June	Bridgwater Armed Forces Day	Bridgwater
Sat 5 July	Somerset Armed Forces Day	Yeovil
Sun 6 July	Yeovil Together 2025	Yeovil
Fri 1 Aug	Taunton Flower Show	Taunton
Wed 6 August	Frome Market	Frome

A man getting his blood pressure checked and giving the camera a thumbs up

Picture of NHS Somerset's rainbow gazebo at an event with people wandering around.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is Somerset's Big Conversation?

Somerset’s Big Conversation is a county-wide engagement roadshow led by NHS Somerset to hear directly from local people in their communities about their experiences with health and care services. Through a series of in-person events, including markets, festivals and other local events, we’re inviting everyone to share their views and help shape the future of care in Somerset. We will also be raising awareness about the work of NHS Somerset and bringing key campaigns such as Smokefree Somerset and Hypertension, into communities across the county. In addition, we’ll gather feedback through an online survey, giving event attendees a chance to share more thoughts and ensuring those who can’t meet us in person still have their voices heard.

Who is organising the roadshow?

The roadshow is organised by the Communications, Engagement & Marketing Team at NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB). The ICB is responsible for planning and coordinating health and care services across Somerset. We are working collaboratively with partners from our Integrated Care System (ICS), known as Our Somerset, across health, social care, and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector to ensure we hear from as many people as possible.

Why is this engagement roadshow important?

Somerset’s health and care system is under increasing pressure, and we know we need to do things differently. The Government will publish its 10 Year Health Plan this summer and the roadshow is an excellent opportunity to build on the feedback we heard as part of our engagement earlier this year and to listen, learn, and understand what matters most to people when it comes to their health and wellbeing. Your input will help us design better, more joined-up, high quality and cost-effective services that work for everyone.

Who can take part?

What will happen at the roadshow events?

Each roadshow event is an open, informal opportunity to:

Talk with NHS Somerset staff and representatives from our health and care partners
Share your experiences of health and care
Learn about local services and upcoming plans
Find out more about current health campaigns
Share your views and ideas about the future of Somerset’s healthcare services

You don’t need an appointment - just come along and have your say.

Where and when are the events taking place?

The roadshow will be visiting towns and communities across Somerset between May and September. A full list of event dates, times, and locations is available on this webpage. Many events are free to attend but some have admission fees. To find out more information about where we will be, please check Somerset's Big Conversation 2025 - NHS Somerset ICB

You can also keep an eye on our NHS Somerset social media channels.

What if I can't attend in person?

What will you do with my feedback?

All the feedback we hear will be reviewed, analysed, and used to inform how NHS Somerset and Our Somerset partners plan and deliver health and care services in the future. We will produce reports to share with our Board, colleagues, patients and the public to share what we have heard and out next steps. We will highlight how public feedback has been used to improve services, as we are committed to the principle of collaboration with the people of Somerset and showing the “You Said, We Did” approach.

Will my information be kept private?

Yes. All feedback will be kept confidential and reported anonymously. We comply fully with data protection laws and our privacy policy is available on this website: Privacy Policy - NHS Somerset ICB . We would like to highlight particular experiences through our social media channels, webpage and in our reports, so we would like to find people who are willing to be case studies. If you are happy to be a case study and for us to use your experience and other details, we will request you complete a consent form

Who can I contact for more information?

Information and Resources