Healthier Together September Newsletter
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust named national neighbourhood health trailblazer
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (BFT), alongside local partners across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG), has been selected as one of only six national Neighbourhood Health Trailblazer sites.
Announced by the Government, the programme recognises the strength of partnership working across BNSSG and a shared ambition to improve care closer to home.
BFT and local partners will develop a new 1,000 Days Neighbourhood Model for its Trailblazer, to improve end-of-life care and support more people with frailty and multiple conditions outside hospital settings.
The ambition is to provide more proactive and joined-up support to people who need it, helping them remain independent and receive care closer to home and outside hospital settings. Initially, the programme will focus on Weston-super-Mare and the wider North Somerset area.
Read more about the trailblazer sites on the Healthier Together website.
Campaign launched to encourage young people to take up the HPV vaccine
Young people aged 16 to 24 across the area are being encouraged to check whether they have received their HPV vaccination and take up the free catch-up offer if they have missed it.
The HPV vaccine helps protect against the types of HPV that can cause several cancers, including cervical cancer and cancers of the mouth. It is free through the NHS and is the most effective way to help protect against HPV-related cancers in the future.
The call comes as part of the ‘Protection Looks Good On You’ campaign, which has been developed as a result of engagement with young people at local colleges.
Read more about the HPV vaccine on the Healthier Together website.
Improving services
Thornbury Health Centre construction underway
Representatives from NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board visited the site of the former Thornbury Hospital, where brand new, modern healthcare facilities are now under construction for the Streamside and Severn View GP surgeries.
The project is being delivered by South Gloucestershire Council on behalf of the NHS and is expected to be completed in autumn/winter 2027.
Find out more about the new health centre on the Healthier Together website.
Involving you
Help shape Bristol NHS Foundation Trust's new values and behaviours
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is inviting people across the South West to help shape the values and behaviours that will guide the new Trust.
Feedback can be shared through a short public survey until Wednesday 7 October.
Read more and complete the short survey.
Mental health charity launches photography competition
Local people are invited to capture ‘The Power of Nature’ to help create a new charity calendar.
Headlight, the official charity of Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP), is calling on aspiring photographers to take part in its first ever charity calendar competition.
The competition closes on 31 October.
Funding available to help women and girls get active
Voluntary organisations, community groups and sports clubs across North Somerset are invited to apply for funding to support projects that help women and girls become more physically active.
North Somerset Council’s Physical Activity Fund provides grants of up to £2,000 for community projects that support the delivery of the council’s Get Active strategy.
Find out more about the funding on the North Somerset Council website.
New funding available to help reduce health inequalities
NHS Gloucestershire and NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Boards have launched a new funding opportunity to support innovative projects that improve primary care services and reduce health inequalities.
The Primary Care Health Inequalities Innovation Implementation Fund is now open for applications, with awards of up to £35,000 available for projects lasting up to 24 months.
Applications are invited from NHS organisations, GP practices, primary care networks, and voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. The deadline for applications is 30 November 2026.
People with asthma invited to take part in two new research studies
The Respiratory Research team at Southmead Hospital are recruiting participants to two asthma clinical trials. Both studies are commercially sponsored, and participants will be reimbursed for their time and travel.
The studies are exploring new approaches to asthma treatment, including an investigational oral medication and a more environmentally friendly inhaler propellant.
There is no cost to participate. You will be paid for your trial-related time and travel. To learn more, talk to your doctor or contact 0117 414 8114 or email respiratoryresearch@nbt.nhs.uk.
Find out more about the asthma studies on the Bristol NHS Foundation Trust website.