Document Category: County-Wide

A report from NHS Somerset (Integrated Care Board) that outlines the collaborative working happening in Somerset to support the veteran community.

Ten council case studies; practical learning on governance, pathways and commissioning to support local Armed Forces communities.

Lived‑experience insights and recommendations on healthcare access for serving families, veterans and reservists in Somerset.

Council progress update, governance/Officer Champions, and duty context across housing, health and education relevant to the Armed Forces community.

Round‑up of national and local developments, funding and events for the Armed Forces community, including partnership opportunities for groups.

Updates on Somerset’s Armed Forces Covenant delivery, champions, and statutory duty changes, plus local initiatives and hubs that charities can link with.

Explains access routes and support via Transition, Intervention and Liaison (TILS) and Complex Treatment Service (CTS) including South West contacts.

People-centred neutering model addressing barriers, partnership working and behaviour-change to improve cat welfare in priority communities.

Somerset river habitat audit with recommendations for riparian management; useful for fisheries, land managers and community groups.

Woodland management and nature‑based wellbeing outcomes in the Blackdown Hills; relevant to forestry practice and land stewardship.

Sets out a county-wide framework for recruiting, supporting and celebrating volunteers across 70+ roles. Clarifies standards, safeguarding, data protection, and the Central Volunteer Team’s processes.

There has been a growing concern within the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector that smaller or newer providers are disadvantaged in
NHS procurement processes, particularly when commissioning children and young people’s mental health services. Somerset Integrated Care Board (SICB) invited the Partnership Manager for Children and Young People’s Mental Health (CYPMH) to participate in a subsequent procurement exercise. This collaboration aimed to increase transparency, offer the VCFSE sector a clearer understanding of how NHS procurement operates, while also identifying opportunities for improvement.

This report presents the findings from activity conducted in 2024 by a multi-agency group aimed at understanding the lived experiences of children, young people, parent carers, and those who support them in accessing help for managing their emotions and mental health.
The report builds upon existing intelligence, incorporating local and national data, including insights from prior surveys. By centering the lived experiences of those involved, it
identifies barriers to accessing support and highlights areas for improvement.

The Power Threat Meaning Framework is an over-arching structure for identifying patterns in emotional distress, unusual experiences and troubling behaviour, as an alternative to psychiatric diagnosis and classification. The project team’s aim was to produce a foundational document which sets out the philosophical, theoretical and empirical basis for such a framework and describes how it can serve as a conceptual alternative to psychiatric classification in relation to emotional distress and troubled or troubling behaviour.

This is an overview. A full 400+ page report is available from the British Psychological Society.

Healthwatch Somerset explores the quality of the transfer of care process in Somerset and use the experiences of people who have been discharged from hospital to inform the organisations involved to support change and improve the process.

In January 2022, we released a commentary about the Lack of NHS Dentists in Somerset highlighting the concerning shortage of accessible dental care in the county, and the
pressing issue of limited access to NHS dentists which was causing widespread public concern. The inability to secure dentist appointments has led to frustration, disproportionately
affecting vulnerable groups like parents seeking care for their children, pregnant women, and those reliant on benefits for whom private dental care is financially unattainable.

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people (CYP) has been investigated both nationally and regionally. There is a wealth of data and
many reports that demonstrate the effects on CYP over the course of several years.

In 2022 Healthwatch Somerset worked with NHS Somerset ICB to create a series of case studies, to support a business case for change, by interviewing people who had lived
experience of an acquired brain injury (ABI) and neurological rehabilitation.

A look at booking an appointment with your GP in Somerset

It is evident over the past year that the public profile of Healthwatch Somerset has been raised because we have seen an increase in the number of people we have heard from and been in contact with. This public feedback and involvement, along with other sources of evidence, has helped us deliver impactful work this year and formulate a work plan for the
coming year.

Unlocking the power of people-driven care – Healthwatch Somerset has had another busy year with a myriad of issues being shared with us. The main concern has been around the lack of NHS dental services in Somerset. We are very fortunate that even though staff numbers are small we have a dedicated team, enabling us to produce the impressive volume of work in 2024/2025. We are increasingly asked to represent Healthwatch on various committees, and our role as an independent advocate is valued.

This review outlines our wide range of services and projects delivered in 2022. It explains our impact as we fulfil our charitable objectives to be responsive to needs and improve the lives of children, young people, their families, and local communities.

Delivering inspirational mentoring to Somerset’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

For many of the groups we support, a grant from The Somerset Fund made a huge difference, enabling them to keep going despite these uncertain times.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

this report tells us how our funding
could support adults with learning disabilities and
autism to live fulfilling lives in their own
communities. Our aim when we commissioned this
research was to build our understanding of what
works well, what needs attention, and how positive
changes can be sustained within communities.

Throughout this review, you’ll
find several stories highlighting
how carefully directed funding,
channelled through Somerset’s
brilliant local charities and social
enterprises, can transform lives and
build stronger communities.

This report draws on community consultation to tell us how our funding could support older people across Somerset

The Somerset State of the Sector report for 2024 was commissioned by Spark Somerset and builds on the work of similar reports published in 2017 and 2020.1
It examines the size and shape of the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector in Somerset.

SASP helps people find ways to move more that work for them to promote good health and happiness and are pleased to be working with hospitals across Somerset with this new service.

At SASP, we are in the unique position of working across all levels of the system to reduce inequalities in physical activity across Somerset.

The 2023/24 fiscal year was a year of transition for CCS with internal reviews, contingency planning, and development of our new Strategy, aligned to our new Vision, Mission and Values.

Citizens Advice Somerset impact report for the period 1st of April 2023 to 31st March 2024