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The Spark iT Digital Inclusion Project, which supports Somerset residents to get online, has been shortlisted for the national Digital Inclusion Award category by ISPA UK. The team behind the project, hosted by charity, Spark Somerset, works to provide free support to Somerset residents who want to get online, but face barriers due to a…

NHS Somerset and Healthwatch Somerset are shining a spotlight on patient and family engagement for safer care across Somerset for World Patient Safety Day on 17 September. In June 2023, NHS Somerset appointed two Patient Safety Partners (PSPs) to support Somerset’s journey to improve the way patients are involved in health and care to help…

NHS Somerset and Somerset Council’s Public Health Team are encouraging Somerset residents to get their blood pressure checked for ‘Know Your Numbers’ week. The awareness week, coordinated by Blood Pressure UK runs from 4 – 10 September and is the UK’s biggest blood pressure testing and awareness-raising event.  This year the theme is ‘Make the…

NHS Somerset and Somerset Council welcomes the recent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announcement around the introduction of the winter flu and Covid-19 autumn booster programme and are encouraging those that are eligible, to come forward for their autumn booster when they are contacted. Covid autumn booster programme The Covid-19 vaccine is being…

This year, the team at Wells Health Centre were absolutely delighted to see in the annual  GP Patient Survey  that not only did the practice achieve higher results than the national averages, but its reception team achieved a score of 100% for ‘helpfulness of receptionists at a GP practice’.  Given that patients sometimes express concerns…

NHS patients in Somerset and the north west of Dorset will benefit from quicker diagnoses thanks to a new diagnostic centre in Yeovil that is planned to open in winter 2024. It will be the second stand-alone diagnostic centre in the county. The Yeovil Diagnostic Centre is one of five diagnostic centres that will be…

You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK. From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing. By primary care services we mean…

Our public consultation on hospital based acute stroke services in Somerset has now closed. Thank you to everyone who has taken part and provided feedback. Stroke is a sudden and life-changing event, and is a leading cause of death and disability in the UK. Over recent years, there have been significant advances in proven, highly effective…

Are you ready for the Easter break? While many of us will be busy making sure our food cupboards are stocked and making plans with friends and family, the NHS in Somerset is asking people to consider their health and care needs and to make sure they are prepared in advance of the extended weekend.…

The NHS will kick off the next phase of its world-renowned covid vaccination programme on Monday with a spring campaign to protect the most vulnerable, starting in care homes. Around 3 million people in the South West will be eligible for a spring covid jab, including over 75s, those with a weakened immune system and…