A major milestone for community health in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire

From 1 April 2026, HCRG Care Group is making it easier for people and professionals to access community health services across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.

This major milestone sees us delivering on the first year of our transformation programme in the South West – a large and ambitious contract to deliver the NHS 10-year plan for communities in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.

We’ve introduced a simpler, more direct way to get the right care – helping people access support earlier, closer to home, and reducing pressure on hospitals and primary care.

These changes have been shaped by the people who use and deliver our services, including patients, carers, voluntary organisations, local authorities and NHS partners, but deliver on our winning transformation plan chosen by the local NHS commissioners after two years of working with communities.

People in the area can now access services through a single point of contact – online, by phone or in writing – without needing to see a GP first. This includes self-referral through new digital tools, access to self-guided resources via our Digital Front Door, and support from Community Health Navigators who connect people to the right level of care.

More joined-up care in the community

We are also strengthening neighbourhood care teams – bringing together nursing, therapy and wellbeing professionals to support people in a more coordinated and personalised way.

By collaborating more closely, teams can step in earlier, manage ongoing conditions proactively and help prevent issues from escalating.

The result is better care for individuals and a more sustainable healthcare system – with fewer avoidable hospital admissions and more people supported to live well and independently.

Better support for professionals and partners

These improvements also make a real difference for referrers across the system.

Healthcare professionals, partners and organisations will now have a single place to refer into community health services, supported by new digital tools that simplify the process. Referrals can be made, tracked and managed more easily, with clearer visibility and around-the-clock support.

This more joined-up approach helps ensure people are directed to the right service first time, improving flow across the system and reducing unnecessary pressure on GPs, hospitals and urgent care.

Val Scrase, Regional Director – South West, at HCRG Care Group, said:

“Bringing community health services together across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire in 2025 was an important step forward in helping people stay well for longer and enabling more care to be delivered safely in the community.

“This next phase will build on that strong foundation. It strengthens our ability to help people stay healthy and live well, while making care easier to access and better to experience. It also supports the NHS’s ambition to move more care closer to home and prevent ill health, while easing the pressure.”

She added: “We’ve reached this point thanks to the invaluable support of our local communities, the voluntary sector and our NHS and local authority partners. By working together, we’re creating a community health service that’s designed around people’s lives and capable of supporting healthier communities for years to come.”

Learn more about Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Community Health at: www.bswcommunityhealth.co.uk