1. Looking after your oral health while living in a care home

    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.

  2. Planning care at the end of life

    Advice and Information -

    We explain why it’s important to have a plan in place, should you or a loved one become critically ill.

  3. Enter and View: Wyndham House, Minehead

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Wyndham House in Minehead, which is a period property with modern extensions. It has 50 bedrooms and is registered to provide residential care.

  4. Enter and View: Winsor House, Minehead

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Winsor in Minehead, which is a period building providing nursing care for up to 40 residents.

  5. Enter and View: West Abbey Care Home, Yeovil

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to West Abbey Care Home, Yeovil, which is a large modern home accommodating 90 residents. It provides both residential and nursing care.

  6. Enter and View: The Firs Nursing Home, Taunton

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to The Firs Nursing Home, situated on the outskirts of Taunton. It can accommodate up to 40 residents and there were 38 residents living here at the time of visit.

  7. Enter and View: The Manor Care Home, Bishops Hull

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to The Manor Care Home provides residential and nursing care for 68 residents of differing adult age groups.

  8. Enter and View: Sydenham House, Bridgwater

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Sydenham House is a modern 51 bed residential home in Bridgwater.

  9. Enter and View: Frome Care Village

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Frome Care Village. Up to 60 residents can be accommodated in the facility which is split over two buildings. Parsonage is a period building which is designated for dementia care and Woodlands is a modern building which provides nursing care.

  10. Enter and View: Fletcher House, Wells

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Fletcher house, a large modern 60 bed residential home in Wells.

  11. Enter and View: Carrington House, Wincanton

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Carrington House, a purpose built residential home for up to 44 residents in Wincanton.

  12. Enter and View: Croft House, Williton

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Croft House Residential Home, a spacious modern home for 67 residents in Williton.

  13. Enter and View: Rossetti House, Frome

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Rossetti House, a 70 bed care home in a purpose built building which opened in 2013.

  14. Enter and View: Grovelands, Yeovil

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Grovelands, a large modern purpose built building with 61 single rooms in Yeovil.

  15. Enter and View: Somerset Court, Highbridge

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Somerset Court, which provides residential and support services for people who have autism.

  16. Enter and View: Oak Lodge Care Home, Chard

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Oak Lodge in Chard, which is a purpose-built care home and provides accommodation for frail older people.

  17. Enter and View: Oak Meadows Care Home, Taunton

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Oak Meadows in Taunton, a care home that was adapted some years ago from an original military building on the site. The home specialises in the care of older people living with dementia.

  18. Enter and View: Centenary House Care Home, Shepton Mallet

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Centenary House, a residential care home in Shepton Mallet, which is able to care for up to 13 residents.

  19. Enter and View report: The Rosary Nursing Home, Bridgwater

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to The Rosary Nursing Home, a large care home in Bridgwater, which offers nursing and dementia care for residents as well as respite care.

  20. Enter and View report: The Old Police House, Nunney

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to The Old Police House, a care home in the village of Nunney near Frome, which provides accommodation for people with a learning disability.

  21. Care Homes during Covid: Care staff perspective

    Report -

    We wanted to find out about the challenges faced by care home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand how they have managed during this time. We held a focused feedback interview with a local care home; this is what they told us.

  22. Accessing health and social care during COVID-19: A Somerset perspective

    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.

  23. Supported transfer of care from hospitals: evaluating people’s experiences to help shape improvements in care

    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.

  24. ‘Review culture’ is on the rise, yet only one in ten people feedback on health services

    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.

  25. Evaluating people’s experiences of being transferred from hospital to care at home or in the community

    News -

    Our new report evaluates people’s experiences of being discharged from hospital to be cared for at home or in a residential or community care setting.

  26. Somerset care homes – before and during COVID-19: Healthwatch Somerset reports

    News -

    Today we have published four reports about care homes in Somerset – three reporting on the quality of care in Somerset care homes prior to COVID-19 from a residents perspective, and a fourth looking at the challenges faced by care home staff during the pandemic.

  27. Join the new virtual quality improvement panel at Dorothy House

    News -

    Help shape the future of services for people living with a life-limiting illness.

  28. Dorothy House Hospice Care seeks to improve services for people with life-limiting illness

    News -

    Dorothy House Hospice Care wants to hear from those with a life-limiting illness, their carers and families about what Day Services they think would improve their wellbeing.

  29. Roadshow finishes with more than 400 views on health and care services in Somerset

    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.

  30. Healthwatch Somerset calls for more feedback from public

    News -

    We are encouraging local people to give their views and experiences of local health and care services following a recently published report on Mendip House in the county.

  31. Enter and View report: Newholme Care Home, Ruishton

    Report -

    Our report following a visit to Newholme, a residential care home in the village of Ruishton near Taunton, which provides accommodation for people with a learning disability.

  32. Making a complaint about social care services – what should you expect?

    Advice and Information -

    Here we look at six things you should expect when making a complaint about social care services.

  33. What should I know before choosing a care home?

    Advice and Information -

    To choose the right care home and support for your needs, or the needs of a loved one, it's important you have the right information to make your decision. Here are six things you should consider when choosing a care home.

  34. NHS Long Term Plan: The views of Somerset residents

    Report -

    This report details engagement work we carried out around the NHS Long Term Plan.

  35. Accessing information about health & support in Somerset: The views of local people

    Report -

    We have been talking to local people about their experiences and views of the accessing health and support information in Somerset. This report tells you what people said when we spoke to them about this.

  36. Healthwatch Somerset Annual Report: Working together to improve health and social care

    News -

    Last year, we supported over 4,370 people to have their say on health and social care and to get information and advice about local services.

  37. Healthwatch Somerset’s Annual Report shows how public feedback has improved health and care

    News -

    Last year (April 2021-March 2022), we supported almost 2,900 people to have their say on health and social care and to get the right information and advice about local services.

  38. Healthwatch Somerset welcomes the Integrated Care System and new opportunities to put people at the heart of care

    News -

    As Somerset’s new Integrated Care System (ICS) becomes a statutory body and formally starts work on 1 July 2022, we look forward to a productive partnership to make care better.

  39. Healthwatch report highlights ongoing public concerns about NHS 111 service in Devon and Somerset

    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.

  40. Local Healthwatch seeks public feedback on NHS 111 to help the service improve

    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.

  41. 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?

  42. Annual report highlights how Healthwatch Somerset has supported the public throughout the pandemic

    News -

    Over the last year (April 2020 to March 2021), during the pandemic, 2,387 Somerset residents shared their feedback on the county’s health and social care services with us or sought information and advice on how to access the care and support they needed.

  43. Healthwatch report highlights inconsistencies in NHS 111 service in Somerset and Devon

    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.

  44. Local Healthwatch plea for public feedback on NHS 111 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.

  45. Healthwatch Somerset Annual Report: Listening to local people helps make health and social care better

    News -

    Over the last year, more than 1,400 people shared their views on the county’s health and social care services with us, helping to make care better for local people.

  46. Make your voice count – Help shape the future of health and care services in Somerset

    News -

    We are calling on local people to make sure their voice is heard and reflected in proposals being drawn up by Somerset NHS health and care services, for changes to community-based services and non-emergency care.

  47. The top four things people in Somerset would like to see improved in local NHS services

    News -

    Hundreds of people in Somerset have shared their views on how to improve NHS health services in the county.

  48. People’s real-life experiences of health and social care services in Somerset set out in new report

    News -

    More than 1,800 people have shared their views on the county’s GP surgeries, hospitals and social care over the last year with us – helping to shape and improve those services for all.

  49. Thank you: Over 260 people tell Healthwatch Somerset what they think would make the NHS better

    News -

    Local people share their views about how they want local health services to improve.

  50. Join a People’s Panel

    News -

    Have your say on the future of health and social care in Somerset – by joining a new Public and Patient People’s Panel.