As schools reopen in September, parents and carers are being urged to check their children have had all their pre-school vaccinations to protect them from serious diseases and help prevent outbreaks. While the majority of parents in the South West do ensure their child is fully vaccinated, some children starting school are either missing key doses or have not been vaccinated at all.    Early childhood […]

Patients with diabetes are being urged to take up the offer of appointments and health checks as the NHS in the South West emerges from the covid pandemic. Attendance dropped sharply during lockdown, posing an increased risk of serious complications that can damage the feet, eyes, heart and kidneys. While more people have been coming […]

Patients in the South West have welcomed news that hundreds of people with cystic fibrosis across the region might benefit from a ‘transformative’ treatment. NHS patients will be among the first in Europe to be prescribed Kaftrio, which significantly improves lung function, helping people with cystic fibrosis to breathe more easily and enhancing their overall […]

As the NHS returns to a ‘new normal’, all pregnant women are being urged to receive their free vaccination against whooping cough. Women who are between 16 to 32 weeks pregnant should contact their GP practice or midwife to make an appointment. Although vaccination rates are generally rising in the South West (see data table), significant […]

Doctors in the South West have welcomed the announcement by NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens that ‘covid-friendly’ cancer treatments will be expanded and extended through a £160 million initiative. The funding will pay for drugs that treat patients without having such a big impact on their immune system or offer other benefits such as […]

In July we launched our Help Us Help You survey across the South West to find out what local people thought of the way services changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. We had a fantastic response with over 6,600 people completing the survey. So thank you to everyone who took the time to share their […]

Patients who need planned treatments are being urged to take up re-scheduled dates for care, as the NHS returns to the new normal. With the number of people in hospitals with COVID-19 continuing to decline, services across the South West are gearing up to work their way through the backlog of patients who had their […]

People across the South West now have access to dedicated 24/7 NHS mental health crisis helplines, to ensure that everyone can get the urgent care they need during the global pandemic. Although part of the existing NHS Long-term Plan, universal coverage has been brought forward to help people cope with the impact of coronavirus. Mental […]

This year has been the most challenging year in NHS history. Those challenges would have been made all but impossible without the help and support of countless individuals and organisations around the country and across the South West. On Sunday 5 July, the day the NHS was founded, the whole country is invited to come […]

During the Covid-19 pandemic, people who work in health and care services and the voluntary and community sector across the South West have offered new choices to patients and the public, for example, by making more use of online and telephone appointments. We would like to know what you think about these new ways of […]