Our work with people and communities

Find out more about our continuous engagement work

Engagement news and updates

Person standing facing the camera with his hands casually linked behind his back, in a street, smiling. Cartoon on the photo shows a blood pressure monitor on his arm and a reading.

SW Regional Hypertension (High blood pressure) Survey

The Somerset ‘Know Your Numbers’ and ‘Take the Pressure Off Hypertension’ (high blood pressure) campaign is an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring. We have worked collaboratively with NHS England and our SW regional partners, to design an online survey that will give us more insight into people’s lived experiences. This will help us to better understand the challenges people experience in getting their blood pressure tested and factors which may motivate them to take this important step.

Picture of person with hands around the stomach. 4 circles with ticks in stating which vaccinations can be had during pregnancy

Vaccinations During Pregnancy

NHS England and NHS Somerset are interested in increasing vaccination uptake. Through a range of communications and engagement activities, our aim is to reach groups and communities where they are at particular risk and/or uptake rates are lowest. One group we are aiming to engage with is pregnant individuals and new mothers in the community, to better understand their experiences. We will use this feedback to shape our communications and strategy, to improve the uptake of vaccination opportunities.

Picture of a white board, surrounded by green leaves. On the board is a red circle with a line through the middle of it and a cigarette underneath it

Smokefree Somerset

As part of the national drive for a Smokefree 2030 where no more than 5% of the population smoke, Somerset need to do more to continue driving down our local smoking prevalence.

To achieve our 5% target for 2030 we need around 45,000 to quit smoking by 2030 in Somerset.For this campaign to succeed we need to understand what motivates people to quit smoking and how to best communicate with them.

2 people sat in a living room one with a blood pressure cuff on and the other holding the blood pressure monitoring machine.

Remote Monitoring Online Survey (Aug 2024) - You Said, We Did

In August, the ICB Engagement Team supported colleagues in developing an online survey around the use of digital technology and remote monitoring. The use of digital technologies is increasingly playing a part in our lives, including in healthcare. The concept of remote monitoring has been around for some time and involves use of devices to enable people to receive, record and relay information about their health and wellbeing in real time.

The online survey has now closed and we have started to analyse all feedback. Your thoughts, views and experiences of remote monitoring are now going to help us to plan our next steps.

Picture of NHS Somerset's rainbow gazebo with a hand holding a sticker in the forefront.

Shaping Somerset - Engagement Annual Report 2023-24

The NHS Somerset Engagement Team are proud to share NHS Somerset’s Shaping Somerset - Engagement Annual Report 2023-24highlighting the wide range of engagement that has taken place over the last year.

Engagement ensures that the voices of diverse people and communities from across the whole county are always at the heart of what we do. Continuously engaging and communicating with patients, families and carers, community groups, partners, stakeholders and the public in the planning, design and delivery of health and care services is essential in shaping our work.

Picture of NHS Somerset's rainbow gazebo at an event.

Somerset's Big Conversation (May - Oct 2024)

Somerset’s Big Conversation roadshow took place from May-October. We aimed to engage with residents across the whole county about what matters to them and their priorities. The roadshow was also an opportunity to raise awareness of key campaigns. The NHS Somerset Engagement Team and colleagues from across the health & care system engaged with people about our ICS (Integrated Care System) Strategy, posing broad questions to gain a better understanding about what matters most to people in Somerset.

3 people sat at a table. 2 listening intently to the third person.

Neurorehabilitation Services Review 2023/2024

NHS Somerset is currently reviewing neurological rehabilitation services across the county. Neurological Rehabilitation (Neuro Rehab) focuses on enhancing functionality, alleviating symptoms, and improving the overall wellbeing of individuals with conditions, injuries or disorders affecting the nervous system.

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Somerset Research Engagement Network - Findings & Recommendations Report (Oct 2023-April 2024)

Following a successful bid in securing funding from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care in October 2023, ICS partners have delivered a Research Engagement Network (REN) Project in Somerset and the findings & recommendations report is now available.

Vaccination Somerset COVID

Vaccinations Engagement (May-July 2024)

NHS Somerset Communications & Engagement colleagues are working closely together on a series of engagement projects, working alongside our VCFSE partners who already have trusted, established relationships in their communities, to improve vaccination communications.

Know your Numbers Blood Pressure (13)

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) ‘Take the Pressure Off’ Campaign - Survey Findings & 'You Said We Did'

The Integrated Care System (ICS) partners are currently involved in working collaboratively on our “Take the Pressure Off” campaign, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring.

Picture of 5 mobile phones showing a digital App

Musculoskeletal Digital 'getUBetter' App Engagement (June-July 2024)

The NHS Somerset Engagement Team have been supporting colleagues with engagement around an app, designed as a self-management digital support platform to enable people with common musculoskeletal injuries and conditions to self-manage.

Large circle with icon in the middle surrounded by 6 smaller circles depicting what matters to me

Personalised Care Branding Survey Findings & You Said, We Did (June-July 2024)

The NHS Somerset Communications & Engagement Team have been supporting our personalised care colleagues with their branding - a personalised care design and logo which people to feel they can connect with.

Pair of hands. One holding a monitor close to a finger with a blood prick

NHS Type 2 Pathway to Remission Programme - Diabetes Engagement (July 2024)

The Engagement Team is currently supporting colleagues with engagement planning around a 12-month programme to help people lose weight and potentially go into remission from having Type 2 diabetes. Somerset is one of 21 areas in the country to offer the Programme.

personalised care

Personalised Care - Survey Findings & You Said, We Did

Personalised Care represents a new relationship between people, professionals and the health and care system and provides a positive shift in power and decision making that enables people to feel informed, have a voice, to be heard and to be connected to each other and their communities.

Taunton and Bridgwater Deaf Club October 2023

Our Engagement team were invited by Healthwatch Somerset to attend the October meeting of the Taunton and Bridgwater Deaf Club.

Our Engagement annual report 2022-23

Our People and Communities: annual engagement report 22-23 provides an overview of our engagement work from July 2022 to April 2023.

Picture of table with NHS table cloth on it also has information and balloons on it

NHS 75th Birthday - Engagement across Somerset

Our Engagement team and Healtwatch Somerset travelled across the county, gathering NHS stories from the people of Somerset as part of our NHS 75th birthday celebrations.

Picture of people at an outside event

Pride in Priorswood 2023

Our Engagement team attended this summer's Pride in Priorswood 2023 events.

Banner with 3 logos - Pride in Priorswood, Our Somerset and NHS Somerset
Picture of clinical worker with an older person doing a jigsaw puzzle

Neuro Rehabilitation Services Engagement 2023

Our Engagement team have been engaging with people with lived experience of neuro rehabilitation services in Somerset including carers, family and support networks.

Photograph of person sat with another person standing holding hands and smiling at each other

Hyper acute and acute stroke services review

We are currently reviewing our acute hospital based stroke services in Somerset, which includes hyper acute stroke and acute stroke services.

This is the specialist hospital care people receive in the first few days and weeks after a stroke.

To find out more about the review visit the Our Somerset website stroke pages.

Photograph of an adult and child stood in a chicken coop
Banner with the words Your Views Matter

Children and Young People's emotional health and wellbeing

We are pleased to share our full report on our findings following our engagement about Children and Young People’s emotional health and wellbeing in Somerset 2020.

307 people completed a survey to tell us what they think of children and young people mental health services. The survey was designed in partnership with Young Somerset, the largest youth work charity in Somerset. Key findings from the report tell us that people would like to see easier access to services, increased availability of sessions, more suitable services for specific needs and better communication about the services that are available.

Picture of a group of people sat waiting in a waiting room

Engagement report on the closure of Victoria Park Medical Centre

NHS Somerset has published an engagement report describing the feedback given by patients and residents, following the closure of the Victoria Park Medical Centre.

Over 100 people gave us their feedback through three drop-in sessions and an online survey. All the information provided was analysed by an independent expert, who has written a report.

The report includes details of people’s experiences of their new GP practices, their views about what NHS Somerest needs to consider when planning for future local health services and suggestions about possible solutions.

A copy is available here.

Photograph of 2 people sat reading a magazine

Mental health services review

Following a public consultation, on the 24 September 2020, the Governing Body of Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) approved a proposal to relocate adult mental health beds from Wells to Yeovil.

Reports from our partners

Annual impact report 2019-20 Somerset Maternity Voices Partnership.
NHS Long Term Plan: The views of Somerset residents Healthwatch Somerset (July 2019).
NHS 111 Service Report Healthwatch Somerset – October 2018.