Tuesday 14th May

Tuesday, 14 May 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a household water supply. Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Chard Post Office is closed today for the handover of the business to new owners...and more.

Somerset's Chief Medical Officer says GP surgeries using healthcare professionals alongside doctors to provide treatments has freed up GP appointments. Speaking on behalf of NHS Somerset, Dr Bernie Marden says 25 percent more GP appointments were created in 2023 compared to 2019 before physios, paramedics and nurses were used to treat people in GP surgeries.

A farmer has been fined £15,000 for polluting a private water supply, and a wild-swimming pond on the Somerset/ Devon border. Appearing for sentencing at Exeter Magistrates Court, Derek Dyer of Crawley Farm at Yarcombe was also given a community order of 60 hours of unpaid work in a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency.

Avon and Somerset’s new Police and Crime Commissioner has officially started work in the role. Clare Moody, who won the recent PCC election standing on a Labour ticket, is promising to create a better connection between the public and the police. Meanwhile, a week of action to tackle knife crime in the Avon and Somerset Police area is underway. Assaults involving a knife increased by 13 per cent in the final quarter of 2023 with more than 370 incidents recorded.

A Somerset pharmacist says a new service that allows pharmacists to treat common health problems is benefiting patients. People suffering from things like sore throats and earache can now go straight to a pharmacist for help rather than seeing a GP.

New owners take over running Chard Post Office today. As well as Chard Post Office, Steve and Teresa Smith, also run Crewkerne and Beaminster post offices. Chard Post Office is closed today for the transfer to take place.

Work’s been completed fitting a new roof to the village hall in Ashill. It replaces the original roof of the 90-year-old building that was found to contain asbestos.

More from News

Thursday 1st May

There’s been a call for the Somerset Levels to be designated a National Landscape. A Yeovil man has raised £2,000 for a new school minibus at Fairmead School in Yeovil by running the London Marathon. Exmoor Ales, which provides cask ales across the region and beyond, is closing its Somerset brewery and moving the business to Surrey...and more.
Wednesday 30th April

The long-awaited refurbishment of Yeovil police station is finally to get underway this summer. Plans have been approved to build 185 new homes off Bunford Lane in Yeovil. Police have arrested three men in Yeovil for being involved in the supply of Class A drugs. A Somerset jockey has been named Champion Conditional Jockey of 2025...and more.
Tuesday 29th April

New figures have shown that registering as a new patient with an NHS dentist in Somerset is still just as difficult as it was six months ago. The go-ahead has been given to build 160 new houses on Station Road in Castle Cary. A sailor from South Petherton has been chosen to lead a team in the round-the-world Clipper Race...and more.
Monday 28th April

Somerset Council is being criticised for taking too long to re-open Yeovil's Octagon Theatre. The Liberal Democrats have won a seat on Chard Town Council by one vote. Dates have been announced for this year’s illuminated carnival processions in South Somerset...and more.
Friday 25th April

Police are investigating the theft of a motorbike in Ilminster. Tributes have been paid to the former Yeovil Town player-manager, Cecil Irwin, who has died aged 83. Town criers from across the South West will be in Yeovil tomorrow competing for the loudest voice in the Yeovil Town Crier Competition 2025...and more
Thursday 24th April

Police are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a child was struck by a car in Yeovil. This week, a planning inquiry is being held into plans to turn a Somerset shopping centre into a retirement complex. A Somerset woman is planning to walk the 70-miles of Hadrian's Wall to mark her 90th birthday...and more.
Wednesday 23rd April

Tourism bosses in Somerset say they feel confident the County will have a good summer for visitors this year. A group representing care providers in Somerset is warning that some residential homes are at risk of going out of business due to rising costs. A Somerset animal charity has taken into care, three orphaned badger cubs...and more.
Tuesday 22nd April

The Care Quality Commission has given two GP practices in Yeovil a 'good' overall rating. According to insurers, AXA, thefts at commercial premises in Somerset are on the rise. Bus users in Somerset could see changes to the frequency of services when the new West of England mayor takes office. Martock is to host its first Pride event in June...and more.