Healthwatch Somerset are pleased to have been informed that the inpatient beds at Shepton Mallet Hospital will be re-opened on 9 July.  Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have announced that the inpatient beds at Shepton Mallet Community Hospital will reopen on...

The new Volunteer Officer for Healthwatch Somerset aims to recruit more people to join the organisation to help shape local health and care services. Julie Draper, from Bridgwater, has joined Healthwatch Somerset and her main role will be focusing on recruiting new...

Share your experiences of local health and care services and make it better for everyone – that’s the message from the county’s independent health and care watchdog Healthwatch Somerset as it celebrates its fifth birthday on Sunday (April 1). Healthwatch Somerset,...

A public consultation is currently underway regarding the future of how Somerset County Council library services could be delivered across Somerset. The consultation includes a set of proposals that seek to put the service on a sustainable footing for the long-term....

Somerset County Council currently commissions a Housing Related Support Service in Sheltered Housing. Support is provided to people with higher level support needs which might otherwise make it problematic for them to remain in their sheltered flat or bungalow. Most...

Patients in Somerset with learning disabilities are getting much better care than before, according to the national regulator Care Quality Commission (CQC). A national mental health and learning disabilities report published by the CQC on 15 March has praised the way...

The county’s independent health and care champion Healthwatch Somerset has welcomed news a new provider will run the out of hours GP services in the county. Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the NHS organisation responsible for the planning and funding of...

Choosing adult social care in England is one of the biggest sources of stress compared to other key life events, according to a survey of 1,000 people carried out for the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The findings come as the quality regulator is raising public...

The new Manager of Healthwatch Somerset plans to use her previous experience of managing over 2,000 volunteers from across the South West to build a stronger voice for the people in the county. Former Swim England team leader Emily Taylor previously recruited and...