We run, host and attend many events each month. Find out more about local events taking place in Somerset and Have Your Say. Events We run and attend multiple events throughout the year, check the calendar below to see what we've got coming up. June 2025 Today Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6

Healthwatch Somerset is the independent champion for people who use health and social care services. We’re here to make sure that those running services put people of Somerset at the heart of care. We want to hear from you We're collecting your stories and experiences about GP surgeries, Dentists, Pharmacies and all other health and social care services. Tell us about your experiences and help shape the future of care. Have your say News & Views To see all news posts, click here British Empire Medal awarded to Somerset carers campaigner HM The King’s New Year Honours List 2025 celebrated over 1200 people who have made outstanding contributions to their communities across... Healthwatch Somerset - May 2025 Newsletter Our May Newsletter includes updates about our work, information about health and care services, and helpful advice. The people have spoken We asked you to help shape our workplan for 2025/26 and our latest report shows the results of what you told us. Each year, we gather... Thank you so much for all your help. I had been sent around in circles before coming to you; for you to be so kind and determined was a breath of fresh air. Parent who struggled to find an NHS dentist Upcoming events To see all events, click here Unlocking the power of people‑driven care Tue 15 Jul Edgar Hall, Somerton Register Unlocking the power of people‑driven care Thu 17 Jul Online annual report launch Register subscribe Sign up for our news letter Email First Name Last Name I agree to my data being stored and used in line with the privacy policy. Click here to see the privacy policy Subscribe Thank you for subscribing

There are lots of ways you can get involved with what Healthwatch Somerset are doing. Take a look at job vacancies, volunteering opportunities or come to an event and Have Your Say. Ways to get involved People want health and care that works for them. Our job is to help make this happen, but we need to hear from you to understand what matters. Whether you have a couple of minutes to spare, or can commit to something longer, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Have your say Share your story Have your say The more people share their experiences about NHS and social care, the more services can understand what works, what doesn’t and what people want from care in the future. Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer Volunteers play a vital role in helping people have their say on health and social care. Volunteering with Healthwatch can help you develop skills, gain experience and make a difference to your community. Work with us Work with us Work with us View jobs Find out more about ways you can work with us and view any current opportunities with our team.

In our latest report, we talk about people's experiences when trying to make appointments at a local doctor’s surgery in West Somerset In March 2024 we published our report Access to GP appointments in West Somerset   which stated our commitment to revisit the work and collect future feedback. We wanted to understand people's experiences of accessing GP services in Minehead. This report has been created using the feedback we heard from people in Minehead from September 2024 to February 2025. Key findings People are experiencing extended wait times for appointments. The feedback indicated that a lack of GP’s registered at the surgery creates barriers in patient-doctor relationships. The reliance on locum GP’s creates gaps in continuity of care. Read our Report If you need this report in a different format, please email info@healthwatchsomerset.co.uk or call 0800 999 1286

You may have become aware over the weekend that the Government intends to close Healthwatch England (and therefore your local Healthwatch). This is to streamline patient safety bodies as part of their new ten-year strategy, to be announced in more detail later this week.   We wanted to reassure you that Healthwatch Somerset are operating as usual and continuing to deliver on ensuring that health and social care works better for people, and remain your source for information, advice and guidance about local services. We have a great workplan of activity to deliver based on what you told us matters to you. We are very much here to listen to what you like about services and what you think could be improved. Whatever the issue, we want to hear about it.    We will be in touch when we have more information about key changes. In the meantime, if you have any concerns, please Contact us Thank you

Our annual report, Unlocking the power of people-driven care, highlights how we've worked throughout the year to understand people's health and care needs, and used public feedback to help NHS and social care services in Somerset improve. The report also outlines our work planned for 2025-26. The year in numbers 5094 people shared their experiences of health and social care services with us, helping to raise awareness of issues and improve care. 1364 people came to us for clear advice and information on topics such as how they can find an NHS dentist and how they can make a complaint about their GP surgery. 34 outstanding volunteers supported us last year, giving up 595 hours of their time to make care better for their community. We published 5 reports about the improvements people would like to see to health and social care services. Our priorities for the next year Investigating waiting lists for procedures, including the timing and method of patient contact during waiting periods for medical treatments. Holding an event in October 2025 focusing on accessible information in Somerset health and care. Following up on the Healthwatch England pharmacy survey by looking at the pharmacy provision in Somerset. Working with Somerset Council to listen to people’s experiences of working with micro-providers. Supporting our communities to understand the future NHS 10-year plan and it’s recommendations. These include moving from hospital to the community, embracing digital transformation, and shifting from treatment to prevention. Following up on the recommendations that have been made in our work in 24/25. Read our report Read the full Annual Report 2024-2025 to find out more about our work during the past year. If you need this report in a different format, please email  info@healthwatchsomerset.co.uk   or call 0800 999 1286.