A roadshow which travelled almost 260 miles around Somerset, including the Burnham-On-Sea area, has gathered the views of local people on health and care services, with more than 400 views collected.
Staff and volunteers from the county’s independent health and care champion Healthwatch Somerset took to the roads in a classic 1969 VW campervan and parked up at various locations around the county to gather the views and experiences of people of all ages on health and social care services.
The ‘Campervan & Comments Tour’, which was organised to reach people who may not have heard of Healthwatch Somerset before, visited 18 key locations all over Somerset.
The most popular topic of conversation centred around accessing local GP surgeries with mixed views across the county.
Reflecting on the tour, Healthwatch Somerset Manager Emily Taylor said: “A lot of people told us how much they valued and appreciated NHS services, although access to Primary Care was an issue that came up again and again.”
“Less people shared experiences of social care so it is harder to identify trends, but we will be reviewing all the feedback and ensuring that these are shared with the delivery and commissioning organisations. We will also be using it to inform our priorities for our 2019/2020 Workplan.”
The findings of the roadshow will now be complied into a report which will be shared with the decision-making organisations in Somerset – those that pay for and plan for health and care services in the county.
