People in the South West will now be able to get treatment for seven common conditions at their local high street pharmacy from today, without needing to see a GP, as part of a major transformation in the way the NHS delivers care in the community. More than 96 percent of community pharmacies in the […]

Parents in the South West are being urged to book their children in for their missed measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine as part of a major NHS drive to protect our children and communities from becoming seriously unwell, as measles cases continue to rise in parts of England. Dr Emma Kain, Consultant in Public […]

Life-saving lung health checks with an iconic South West backdrop are set to be offered to thousands of smokers and ex-smokers from Plymouth and surrounding areas. More than 15,000 people in the region have already been checked. The Lung Health Check Programme gives current and past smokers the chance of having lung cancer detected and […]

The NHS in South West is urging people to continue to use services sensibly after an amber cold weather alert is issued for the region straight off the back of six continuous days of junior doctors’ strikes. Pressure on many NHS services across the region remained high throughout the junior doctor industrial action over the […]

Record industrial action this week could see one of the most difficult starts to the year for health services across the country, the NHS has said today. Junior doctors strike from tomorrow (3rd) at 7am, until 7am on Tuesday (9th) – the longest consecutive strike action ever taken in the history of the NHS. The […]

TWO senior women at NHS England South West, who combined have dedicated more than 80 years to caring and improving the health of communities, are among those recognised in the 2024 New Year’s Honours list. Jill Crook, Director of Nursing Professional and System Development for NHS England South West, was awarded an BEM for services […]

The NHS in the South West is facing significant disruption to routine care this week due to industrial action, just as we enter one of the busiest periods of the year for the service. Junior doctors across the NHS will begin striking at 7am on Wednesday (20 December) until 7am on Saturday 23 December. With […]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being introduced to GP practices across the South West to help them offer earlier support to people at risk of hospital admission. The “Brave AI” system, which helps staff to identify vulnerable patients who may otherwise go under the radar, will be rolled out to 30 areas over the next few […]

The NHS will be investing more than £40m to improve acute mental health care in the South West for individuals with a learning disability and autistic people. Twenty new mental health hospital beds will help bring an end to long-distance placements, making life better both for individuals who need hospital treatment, and for their families, […]

Research shows that staying in hospital reduces people’s muscle strength, circulatory function as well as independence, which is why the NHS across the South West has a number of initiatives this winter, to try and keep people well and at home wherever possible. From people measuring their blood pressure or oxygen levels at home so […]