In 2021, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that people who were immunosuppressed have a third primary dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, followed by a booster, then an additional booster during the Spring 2022 programme. Clinical teams across the county worked together to develop a unique comprehensive and reliable central list of…

In 2020, Somerset became one of the early implementers of the Community Mental Health Transformation by setting up an alliance between NHS teams and voluntary sector organisations (VCSE) called Open Mental Health (OMH). Our shared ambition was to ensure that people living with mental health issues get the right support at the right time. What…

Free and accessible health checks for farmers Farmers often lead isolated lives, and their work can be all-encompassing, so they do not often seek help for health issues. To reach more farmers and ensure they are getting any health support they need, NHS Somerset worked with local charities and businesses to set up health hubs…

In April 2020 Somerset NHS launched a fully integrated intermediate care service, following the success of their Home First initiative. Studies suggest the best place to recover is at home. People who are admitted to hospital often lose their independence very quickly, which makes it harder for them to get home and back to doing…

Somerset Foundation Trusts audiology manager Emma Ralph has recently been appointed to the lead healthcare scientist role across the Somerset Integrated Care System. Over 50,000 healthcare scientists work in the NHS and public health services and together they provide the scientific backbone of the NHS and their work underpins 80 per cent of all diagnoses.…

‘Let’s Kick It Together’ is a systems-wide campaign co-created through a partnership between Mums2Be Smokefree; a community-based service of Somerset County Council, and the midwifery services at Somerset Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital. The 12-month campaign was launched on 25th May  2022 with a hook to World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. How…

Lucy was appointed as a Bereavement Project Lead Midwife for Somerset Local Maternity & Neonatal System to align how Somerset Foundation Trust and Yeovil District hospitals  care for families experiencing pregnancy or baby loss using the National bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP). (The NBCP was devised by a range of charities and organisations to highlight the…

The Somerset Apps Library project was developed to help people in Somerset with advice and information around their health and wellbeing, by providing a central resource for people to access safe health apps, which work best for them. The project was launched in January 2022 and will initially run for three years. Health apps are a…