Council News

Survey launched to discover how Somerset residents access information and advice

Somerset residents are being asked to opens in a new windowcomplete a short, five minute survey about how they access information about staying healthy and well, and how this can be improved.

Whether it’s getting help for an older relative, activities for children, or searching for some health advice, there is a lot of information out there and knowing where to start can be a bit overwhelming.

The survey was created by Somerset County Council and NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and the information provided will help ensure that:

• People of all ages have access to good quality, up-to-date information

• People can find relevant advice about what’s available in their local community

• Professionals, volunteers and community groups can find out what’s available more easily to help others

• Providers of services, such as community groups, can share what they do with the right people

Cllr Clare Paul, Somerset County Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “We need to make it easier for people to find what they need – whether a person looks online, phones or drops in to see someone for help, we want to make sure that the information and advice they need is easy to access, up-to-date and of good quality.

“There’s a lot of support out there, with lots of different organisations offering different services to meet different types of needs, but this can mean that the information people need can be tricky to find, and we want to do something about that. By completing this short survey, you will help us improve the way we provide information – not just for you, but for other people too.”

Lydia Woodward, Head of Women’s and Children’s Health Commissioning at Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group said: “Through this project we want to make it easy for people to access the information they need to support their health and wellbeing. To do that we need to better understand what you think of the information currently available and whether you feel we could provide it in a way that better meet your needs, and the needs of people you care for.

We are therefore asking people to take 5 minutes to tell us about how you currently access information about health and social care, what works well for you and how we could improve it. It is really important to us that we hear a wide range of views from across Somerset. We will then use this information to identify any opportunities to make it easier for people to find what they need to stay healthy and well.”

The survey closes on Sunday 28th Feb, after which point the data will be analysed. The survey has been produced in line with GDPR regulations – for further information about this, including how data is held and processed, visit: Privacy notices and cookies.

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