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Advice and Information -
Living in a care home can increase your risk of oral health problems. That's why knowing what questions to ask care staff about your oral health or loved ones can prevent problems from developing. -
Advice and Information -
Are you having trouble finding an NHS funded dentist? Read our tips on what to do if you’re facing problems. -
Report -
Quarterly feedback to the NHS Local Dental Network from local Healthwatch in the South West. -
Report -
Quarterly feedback to the NHS Local Dental Network from local Healthwatch in the South West. -
Report -
Quarterly feedback to the NHS Local Dental Network from local Healthwatch in the South West
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News -
As Healthwatch marks its tenth anniversary this week, Healthwatch Somerset joins the 152 local Healthwatch across England to appeal for more people to feedback on NHS care. -
Blog -
Lack of access to NHS dentists in Somerset is a significant issue raised with us by the public. They have told us that NHS dentists in Somerset are not taking on new patients. -
News -
A new survey of public attitudes to NHS dentistry shows that half of the adults in England find dental charges unfair amid escalating living costs. -
News -
The UK’s largest independent regulator of official statistics wants to hear from patients, carers and their families about how they access and use statistics on mental health in England. -
News -
Our roadshow, which travelled almost 260 miles around Somerset to find out the views of local people on health and care services, has finished a seven-day tour with more than 400 views collected. -
News -
Share your feedback by 31 October 2023 to help improve access to NHS dentistry. -
Report -
A lack of access to NHS dentists in Somerset remains a pressing issue, including for parents, vulnerable individuals and those with financial constraints. We have residents who are enduring persistent pain and grappling with unresolved dental issues. -
Advice and Information -
Are you struggling to find an NHS dentist? The new dental recovery plan might help you get the dental care you need. -
Advice and Information -
How can I get the most out of my next visit to the dentist? Take a look at our tips to help you prepare for your appointment and make sure you understand your treatment and how much it will cost. -
Advice and Information -
People are often in need of out-of-hours medical assistance. Using NHS guidelines, we have provided some advice and information on where you can go for help when your GP is closed. -
News -
With spiralling costs of living, Healthwatch England is warning people are making changes to how they use health and social care services, which can have an adverse impact on their health and wellbeing. -
Advice and Information -
We explain why it’s important to have a plan in place, should you or a loved one become critically ill. -
Advice and Information -
When you need specialist NHS support, like hospital tests or treatment, you often need a referral from your GP first. Find out what this includes and what to expect. -
Advice and Information -
The NHS wants to make it easier and safer for patients to get the right treatment when they need it, without waiting a long time to be seen in A&E. Find out what this means for you and your loved ones. -
Report -
Our report following a visit to West Mendip Hospital, Glastonbury. The wards provide 36 beds, which host a mixture of patients: on Pathway 2, Pathway 3 or end of life patients. -
Report -
Our Enter and View Team engaged with members of public at Musgrove Park Hospital. We spoke to people and recorded their comments about health and social care services, and we gave out dozens of leaflets, and ‘How Connected Are You?’ Surveys. -
Report -
We consulted with members of the Somerset Polio Support Group to document the care they receive from the NHS in relation to their condition, at both primary and hospital level, in order to raise the understanding of PPS with NHS health commissioners. -
Report -
In September 2016 we returned to visit this group to find out how their report on Post Polio Syndrome (PPS) was progressing and to hear the key issues identified so far. -
Report -
This report details our engagement with Taunton Post Polio Support Group, the issues around the understanding among professionals about Post Polio Syndrome and the ongoing joint work to highlight these with commissioners, GPs and health professionals. -
Report -
Early Supported Discharge is a service that aims to help patients who have suffered a stroke to be discharged from hospital sooner and to carry out rehabilitation at home rather than in hospital. -
Report -
We created a survey that could be accessed online and completed at engagement events. The survey ran from 11 June to 31 August 2018. It asked for the views of local people who had used the service within the last three years. -
Report -
We have been talking to local people about their experiences and views of the Health Visiting Service in Somerset. This report tells you what people said when we spoke to them about the service. -
Report -
We gathered real-time feedback on local health and social care services during the pandemic from the views of Somerset residents, to provide information that services can learn from once the outbreak has passed. -
Report -
Healthwatch in Somerset, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay joined forces to promote a regional survey to ensure that people using the NHS 111 service had their say on the way it is delivered to them. -
Report -
We gathered the views of those currently using the District Nursing Service. We wanted to know what the current strengths and weaknesses were in the delivery of the service to patients in Somerset. -
Report -
Somerset’s NHS leaders asked us to help them understand how people are being affected by waiting for surgery to inform their ongoing work to improve support for patients. -
Report -
People who use NHS 111 in Devon and Somerset have reported ongoing concerns about the quality of the service, with the most common complaints being about long waiting times and difficulty getting through on the phone. -
Report -
The aim of this project was to gather the views of people living in West Somerset about same day urgent care. Somerset NHS Clinical Commissioning Group asked us to carry out this work as part of a review into how urgent care is provided in Somerset. -
Report -
We wanted to explore the quality of the transfer of care process in Somerset and use the experiences of people who have been discharged from hospital with ongoing care needs to guide improvements in the process. -
News -
Healthwatch England, is warning that six-week postnatal checks – required of GPs in England – are failing many new mothers. -
News -
Healthwatch is launching a national survey to understand if care works for new mothers and birthing parents. -
News -
The NHS is reviewing how it provides Same Day Urgent Care in Somerset, and we want to hear your views to help shape and improve access to services in the future. -
Blog -
Information and advice from Healthwatch England, September 2021 -
News -
People who use NHS 111 in Devon and Somerset have reported ongoing concerns about the quality of the service, with the most common complaints being about long waiting times and difficulty getting through on the phone. -
News -
In our recent survey, patients who are waiting for planned surgery in Somerset reported a lack of communication from hospitals and many felt their health and wellbeing had deteriorated while waiting for treatment. -
News -
A new public survey has been launched to find out more about local people’s experiences of using the NHS 111 service in the region. -
Are you or your loved ones waiting for hospital care? Share your experience with Healthwatch England
News -
Millions of people have had their treatment delayed by the pandemic – are you one of them? -
News -
As the number of patients waiting for surgery continues to grow, nationally and in southwest England, we are asking people about their experiences of being referred for surgery in Somerset and how they have been affected by waiting times. -
News -
Our new report out today, shows that people who receive care and support at home from the District Nursing Service, would like to see the introduction of weekend and evening visits, but many people are more cautious about the introduction of digital consultations. -
News -
We have announced the areas we will investigate this year, to make sure that local people’s views and experiences are used to drive and support improvements in local services. -
News -
We want to know what people think about the care they have received from Somerset’s District Nursing Service, to help the service develop and improve how it cares for local people. -
News -
A joint report released today by a group of local Healthwatch in the South West, shows that although the NHS 111 service in Somerset and Devon is rated highly by the public, there are inconsistencies in the quality of the service. -
News -
A new public survey has been launched to find out more about local people’s experiences of using the NHS 111 service in the region. -
News -
People in Somerset looking for health advice and support want to see better access to their GP to get the information they need, rather than looking online for help. -
News -
People in Somerset are being asked to share how they access information, support and advice when they are ill, looking after someone or finding it difficult to manage living at home, to help shape local services going forward.
