During the autumn of 2018 Somerset NHS carried out an extensive engagement exercise to ask people to share their views about health and care services in Somerset and tell us what they thought of their early thoughts about how they could improve these services. The shared vision for Somerset is that people live healthy and independent lives, within thriving communities.

As health and care services in Somerset they aim to support people to live independent, healthier lives by having the right services in the right place for their needs, available at the right time and delivered by the right people.

They have today launched an engagement programme to gather feedback from local people about providing care closer to home. They are inviting you, and everyone who lives and works in Somerset, to join in thinking about and shaping a new way of providing services which is, where practical, closer to where they live, supports independence and maintains health. Your input, ideas and suggestions are vital to helping make sure that the right services are in the right place.

They also want to share with you the reasons why our current services need to change and the challenges that they face in continuing to run them.

Using all the feedback we receive, they will develop a number of ways that services could be delivered differently. They aim to formally consult the public about these potential options in the future.
In the attached engagement document they have set out the evidence gathered so far, with the help of Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the service provider, that is helping to shape early thinking.

If you would like to read the full detail it will be available on the website later today if you follow the link here: https://www.fitformyfuture.org.uk/.

You can complete the questionnaire here: http://bit.ly/FFMF-community-health-and-care-spring-2020
The engagement programme closes on 12 April 2020 and they will publish a full report soon afterwards once they have reviewed all the feedback.

They hope you will take the time to complete our short survey, but if there are additional comments you would want to make they would very much like to hear them. Please share this email and the online links to the engagement document with your contacts. If you or someone you know would like a printed copy, a summary document or an EasyRead version please contact the Fit for my Future team on 01935 384119 or email somccg.fitformyfuture@nhs.net.