BSW Community Health VCSE Update

Building healthier communities across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon

and Wiltshire Community health services play an essential role in helping people of all ages stay healthy and live well.

Across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, HCRG Care Group is responsible for community health services on behalf of the NHS. These services are for everyone, from birth through adulthood and into old age.

Demand for community health services continues to grow as more people live longer and manage ongoing conditions. Across the region, partners from the health and care sector, local authorities and voluntary and community organisations are working together to make it easier for people to get the support they need to live well for longer.

From 1 April 2026, community health services for the NHS across the region will operate under the name Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Community Health.

Making community health easier to understand and access

Community health services are delivered by medical, care and support professionals within local communities. They help prevent health problems from becoming more serious and support people to manage long-term conditions or other challenges affecting their health, as well as helping people return to independent living after a hospital stay.

These services form part of the wider NHS support available to local people and sit alongside care provided by hospitals and GPs. Support may include a nurse or therapist visiting someone at home, an exercise class at a community centre for people with heart issues or specialist care at a local clinic. Community health teams also work with people to support recovery, maintain independence and promote long-term health and wellbeing.

Shaping future community health services

Over the past year, patients, carers, local communities and partner organisations have helped shape how these local services will develop. Their feedback continues to guide how services are delivered, and some important changes come into effect from 1 April 2026.

These changes will make it easier for people across the region to access NHS care that’s local and organised around their needs – supporting the NHS’s regional and national goals to provide more care closer to home, make better use of technology and prevent ill health.

Working with our Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise partners

We know that our voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) partners support some of the most vulnerable communities across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire. We would be grateful for your help in sharing this information about the upcoming changes to Community Health Services.

We have been working closely with many of you to shape these services, so they better meet the needs of our seldom‐heard communities. Thank you for your continued input and support. We recognise that our collaboration must continue to ensure that Community Health Services remain as accessible and inclusive as possible.

By continuing to work closely with the voluntary and community sector, local authorities and NHS partners, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Community Health will support healthier communities across the region.

One point of contact for easy access to the right care

From 1 April, local people will be able to access community health services through a single point of contact – online, by phone or in writing.

Whether someone contacts the service directly or another healthcare provider refers them, they’ll get faster, more consistent responses from Community Health Navigators. This dedicated team, now open 15 hours a week longer, will assess all referrals to make sure the individual gets the level of care they need – from self-help resources to more specialised support. And because services are being brought together, they’ll only ever need to tell their story once.

The service’s website – www.bswcommunityhealth.co.uk – is also being refreshed. It will provide easy access to health information and self-help resources at any time, including ways to connect with other local support services, helping people take control of their health and wellbeing.

New digital referral forms will modernise how people access services, making it faster and easier to get the right help at the right time. Crucially, the forms will allow people to refer themselves directly to Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Community Health – without visiting a GP or waiting for an appointment. This includes children and young people who’ll have a dedicated form they can complete themselves or with the help of a trusted adult. Non-digital options will still be available for anyone who prefers or needs them through our single point of access.

Working together around individual needs

As well as simplifying access to services, neighbourhood teams will improve the way professionals work together to understand and support people’s individual circumstances across physical health, mental health, wellbeing and everyday life. These Integrated Neighbourhood Teams will bring together professionals from health, therapy and wellbeing to provide coordinated, personalised support for people with a wide range of needs.

By sharing information, using the same systems and working closely together, teams can look beyond a single condition and consider what really matters to the person and their carers. This joined-up approach means they can step in earlier, manage ongoing conditions proactively and prevent problems from becoming more serious – helping people live well and independently for longer.

Supporting healthier communities across the region

Together, these changes will make it easier for local people to access community health services and connect with the support available in the area. Over time, this approach will bring more care closer to home, reduce pressure on the NHS and help everyone get the right care sooner so they can live well for longer.

As locally delivered NHS services, community health plays an important role in supporting the wider health and care system and improving health outcomes for local communities.

Commenting on the developments, Val Scrase, Regional Director – South West, HCRG Care Group, said:

“Bringing community health services together across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire in 2025 was an important step forward for local people. Every day, our teams are already making a real difference – supporting children to get the best start in life, helping people stay well for longer and enabling more care to be delivered safely in the community.

“This next phase will build on that strong foundation. It strengthens our ability to help people stay healthy and live well, while making care easier to access and better to experience. It also supports the NHS’s ambition to move more care closer to home and prevent ill health.

“We’ve reached this point thanks to the invaluable support of our local communities, the voluntary sector and our NHS and local authority partners. By working together, we’re creating a community health service that’s designed around people’s lives and capable of supporting healthier communities for years to come.”

How to contact Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Community Health

From 1 April, the team can be contacted on 0300 247 0200.

The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with routine support available for adults between 8am and 8pm and dedicated support for children and young people available from 8am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

For support and advice at any time, the service’s website – www.bswcommunityhealth.co.uk – offers health information, self-help resources and online referral options for individuals and healthcare professionals.