Enjoy a safe summer holiday by stocking up on self-care essentials
As the school holidays enter full swing, families in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire are being encouraged to check their medicine cabinet is stocked with essentials, and know what to pack in order to stay healthy when going away. Keeping some medicines and first-aid essentials at home, such as painkillers, antihistamines, insect…
Information on diabetes drug shortages
The NHS is currently facing supply issues with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), a range of drugs used for managing blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. These medications are: Dulaglutide (Trulicity®), Exenatide (Byetta® or Bydureon®), Semaglutide (Ozempic® or Rybelsus®), Liraglutide (Victoza®) and Lixisenatide (Lyxumia®). Supply of these medications is not expected…
Patients warned of further disruption during upcoming strike by consultants
Industrial action by the most senior doctors working in the NHS is likely to cause significant disruption to services in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. Consultants at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, the Great Western Hospital in Swindon and Salisbury District Hospital are due to take part in a national 48-hour…
Issues affecting the Libra Diabetic App
Issues have been reported with the Abbott FreeStyle LibreLink app, which monitors glucose levels in diabetic patients. Patients who have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes can use a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) to monitor their blood glucose levels on a constant basis, so they don’t have to take blood samples frequently throughout the day…
Back-to-back strikes to cause significant disruption to local NHS services
An unprecedented period of prolonged industrial action by junior doctors and hospital consultants is likely to cause significant disruption to NHS services in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire over the coming days. Junior doctors at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, the Great Western Hospital in Swindon and Salisbury District Hospital are…
Local landmarks illuminated in NHS blue for health service’s 75th anniversary
Seventy-five years of the NHS have been marked in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire with the lighting-up of three of the region’s most iconic landmarks. The Roman Baths in Bath and the Central Library in Swindon were bathed in NHS blue on Wednesday 5 July, as the region celebrated the health service’s…
Region marks 75 years of NHS with stunning light display at iconic landmarks
Seventy-five years of the NHS will be celebrated in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire with a stunning light display at a trio of iconic local landmarks. The famous Roman Baths in Bath, Swindon’s Central Library and Salisbury Cathedral will all be illuminated in a dazzling shade of NHS blue on Wednesday 5…
Community vaccination clinics give people last chance of Covid-19 protection
People in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire who have yet to get protected against Covid-19 have one last chance to do so at a series of community vaccination clinics happening this week. Any person yet to have a first Covid-19 vaccine, or in need of the second follow-up dose, can receive their…
Homeward Unit launches at Bath hospital to help patients return home
Patients who are almost ready to go home from hospital, but who require a period of recuperation to help them better prepare, are being offered a stay in a Homeward Unit at St Martin’s Hospital in Bath. The 16-bed facility will allow patients to get better through a range of therapeutic interventions including help with…
How to make a complaint about GPs, dentists, opticians and pharmacies
From Saturday 1 July, the way in which complaints about local primary care services are made will change. After this date, people wishing to make a complaint about the care received from a GP practice, dental surgery, opticians or pharmacy must contact either the South West regional complaints team or the healthcare provider directly. The…