Thursday 21st September

Thursday, 21 September 2023 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset NHS Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital, paid out more than £13.5M in medical negligence claims in the last twelve months. Yeovil-based charity, School in a Bag, is asking for help to send supplies to earthquake-hit Morocco. Work has started on the next phase of the Yeovil Refresh project causing more disruption in the town centre...and more.

According to new data, Somerset NHS Trust, which runs Yeovil Hospital, paid out more than £13.5M in medical negligence claims in the last twelve months. The Trust, which also runs Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and a number of community hospitals, paid compensation on seventy-seven negligence claims between July last year and July this year. The total paid was £13,511,879. Under NHS rules, a claim for medical negligence can be made if a patient suffers unnecessary or avoidable harm following a medical procedure.

Yeovil-based charity, School in a Bag, which supports children in the world’s disaster zones, is asking for help to send supplies to earthquake-hit Morocco. If enough money is donated, the charity says it’ll send one thousand school bags to Morocco to support children who are missing their education because of the disaster.

Work has started on the next phase of the Yeovil Refresh project. The scheme will see pavements widened, on-street parking bays installed and raised beds for planting introduced in Lower Middle Street, Newton Road, Wyndham Street and South Western Terrace. Starting in November, work will be carried out to improve crossing points at Middle Street, Wyndham Street, Sherborne Road and Newton Road junctions. Businesses will remain open throughout with the affected areas coned off and traffic lights in place.

Somerset Council has launched a tree strategy with the aim of planting two hundred and forty hectares of new woodland every year across the county over the next ten years. The Council’s appointed tree expert, James Chapman, and community engagement officer, Craig Daters, to drive the plan forward. Across the UK, tree cover is estimated at thirteen per cent, while in Somerset it’s just eight per cent.

A mother and son have started a juice-making business to raise awareness of how people with autism can learn new skills. Joanne and Patrick have set up "Squeeze and Go" at Castle Cary market. Patrick, who is non-verbal, is an equal partner with his mother in the business.

More from News

Friday 31st January

A teenager has been arrested following a stabbing in Yeovil. Water bills in Somerset are set to go up on average by £123 from April. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance will officially open Yeovil’s new outdoor performance space later today...and more
Thursday 30th January

Lloyds bank is closing its branch in Chard. A Sherborne man has been jailed after defrauding a Yeovil woman of £40,000. A volunteer group in Chard is urging people to sign up to a flood victims register. A councillor in Shepton Mallet has become the first Reform UK member on Somerset Council... and more
Wednesday 29th January

New mums in Somerset could soon be offered a cervical screening test six weeks after giving birth. Police are asking for help in finding a Yeovil man wanted on recall to prison. The government has given half a million pounds towards planting more trees in Somerset, including 100 new trees in Yeovil...and more
Tuesday 28th January

Work continues to clean up from the floods in Chard, Ilminster, Somerton, South Petherton, and parts of Yeovil. A man who threatened to kill a support worker at the mental health unit in Yeovil has been sentenced to a community order. A competition that gives new musicians the chance to play at this year's Glastonbury festival has opened for entries...and more
Monday 27th January

A major incident has been declared by Somerset Council to ensure a multi-agency response to the flash flooding that's affected Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, South Petherton and parts of Yeovil. Police believe a 4x4 pick-up truck, found submerged in the River Yeo at Yeovilton at the weekend, may have been stolen. An appeal to raise £2 million to restore the Grand Organ at Wells Cathedral has raised over £1 million in less than 18 months...and more
News Friday 24th January

Plans have been submitted to build a David Lloyd Health and Fitness Club in Yeovil. Carers in Somerset say spending cuts to mental health support services will be hugely damaging. People with memories of Somerset women's cricket side are being asked to take part in a project to preserve its history. Two of our local restaurants have been listed in the top 100 restaurants in the UK...and more
Thursday 23rd January

Yeovil Town Council has defended its decision to increase its share of the Council Tax by an average of £80. A man who drove an e-scooter in Yeovil while disqualified from driving has been jailed for six weeks. According to new data, the Yeovil driving test centre is the 12th easiest in the UK to pass a driving test...and more
Wednesday 22nd January

Somerset Council is to pay for fifty-bed spaces in nursing homes so that patients can be discharged from hospital quicker. Yeovil MP, Adam Dance, is calling for improved disabled access at Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction railway stations. Crewkerne could soon get a new farm shop...and more.