Public urged to choose right healthcare as walk-ins at region’s hospitals rise
A sharp increase in the number of people walking into hospital emergency departments across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire has prompted a plea to those needing care to think about other alternative services. Following the bank holiday weekend, busy frontline teams at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, the Great Western Hospital…
Support busy NHS during May’s bank holidays by choosing right care options
A double-bill of bank holiday weekends during May has prompted health leaders in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire to remind the public to always choose the right service when seeking help and support. Many GP practices and pharmacies will be closed for bank holiday weekends at both the beginning and end of…
More than 170,000 GP appointments missed across region in last 12 months
Tens of thousands of GP appointments in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are being wasted each month due to patients not cancelling in advance when they are unable to attend. With a total of 170,187 appointments missed in the 12 months between March 2023 and March 2024, patients, along with the families…
GP practice merger to provide patients with access to wider range of services
Patients registered at two GP practices in Bath and North East Somerset will soon have access to a wider range of services as a merger between the surgeries nears completion. Somerton House Surgery is set to become a branch surgery of nearby St Chads Surgery from Monday 1 April, as part of a planned arrangement…
Use the NHS App to order repeat prescriptions
Patients can now order repeat prescriptions direct through the NHS App. The online tool, which can be downloaded for free on any smartphone or internet-enabled tablet, allows people who take regular medication to quickly and easily order more items whenever their current supply is running low. Using the NHS App also means that people do…
Right Care Right Person to be rolled out in the Wiltshire Police area
Wiltshire Police is working with partners to roll out a national operational model aiming to ensure vulnerable people get the right support from the right agency when they need it. Right Care Right Person was initially instigated by Humberside Police in 2019 following an increase in health related calls which did not fall within the…
Get Easter prescriptions in early to avoid last-minute rush for vital medication
People living across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are being urged to arrange any medication they may need for the Easter break well in advance of the long weekend. As most pharmacies in the region will close at the end of the day on Thursday 28 March, and not reopen until Tuesday…
No change for patients as Swindon GP practices announce plans to merge
Two GP practices in Swindon have announced plans to merge at the beginning of next month. Whalebridge Practice will merge with Sparcells Surgery, along with its branch site of Great Western Surgery, on Monday 1 April. The arrangement, which will see all three sites take on the Whalebridge name, should not have any impact on…
Changes to Prescription Ordering Direct coming ahead of closure later in year
As part of the gradual winding down of Prescription Ordering Direct, patients in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are being advised of changes due to come into effect later this week. After Thursday 29 February, POD will no longer be accepting prescription requests sent in via email or through the form on…
Services disrupted, but care still available, during latest junior doctor strikes
While many routine appointments and operations are likely to be impacted by the next round of industrial action by junior doctors, NHS leaders in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire have vowed that care will still be available for those in need. Junior doctors at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, the Great…