Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}

{{Use British English|date=June 2019}}

{{Short description|NHS mental health trust}}

{{Infobox NHS organisation

| name = Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

| logo = File:Somerset Partnership NHS FT.svg

| logo_size =

| start_date = {{Start date|2008|5|1|df=y}}

| end_date = {{End date|2020|4|1|df=y}}

| headquarters =

| area =

| population =

| establishments =

| type = Mental health trust
NHS foundation trust

| budget =

| hospitals =

| chair = Stephen Ladyman

| chief_exec = Peter Lewis

| staff =

| website =

}}

Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust was an NHS foundation trust which managed mental health services in the English county of Somerset. The Trust was formed in 2008, taking over the role from the Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust which had been operating since 1999.{{cite web|title=About the Trust - Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust|url=http://www.sompar.nhs.uk/About_the_Trust.aspx|url-status=dead|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20101126132548/http://www.sompar.nhs.uk/About_the_Trust.aspx|archivedate=26 November 2010|accessdate=22 March 2025}}

It merged with Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to form Somerset NHS Foundation Trust in 2020.{{cite news |title=Redundancies 'not ruled out' as merging trusts target £50m savings |url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/service-design/redundancies-not-ruled-out-as-merging-trusts-target-50m-savings/7023448.article |accessdate=4 November 2018 |publisher=Health Service Journal |date=27 September 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/somerset-nhs-foundation-trust/|title= Somerset NHS Foundation Trust|website=NHS England|accessdate=22 March 2025}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.sompar.nhs.uk/who-we-are/why-we-are-merging-with-taunton-and-somerset-nhs-foundation-trust/|title=Why we are merging with Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust|url-status=dead|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20191222001444/http://www.sompar.nhs.uk/who-we-are/why-we-are-merging-with-taunton-and-somerset-nhs-foundation-trust/|archivedate=22 December 2019|accessdate=22 March 2025}}

The trust developed out of the institution established by the Bridgwater Infirmary in the nineteenth century. Edward Colgan, the chief executive, spoke at a tribute to William Baker and John Bowen (heroes of a cholera epidemic of 1849) in September 2013.{{cite news|title=Honour for two heroes of fatal epidemic|url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Honour-heroes-fatal-epidemic/story-19831911-detail/story.html|accessdate=30 November 2013|newspaper=Western Daily Press|date=23 September 2013}}

The trust was involved in an important legal case (KL v Somerset Partnership NHS TrustKL v Somerset Partnership NHS Trust [2011] UK UT 233 (AAC)) which clarified the law about community treatment orders under the Mental Health Act 2007.{{cite news|title=Section 17 leave and CTOs|url=http://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?id=8432|accessdate=30 November 2013|newspaper=Local Government Lawyer|date=3 November 2011}}

It was an early adopter of the NHS Friends and Family Test in August 2013.{{cite news|title=Survey reveals satisfaction of majority of patients at hospitals in Shepton Mallet, Taunton and Yeovil and Bath |url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Survey-reveals-satisfaction-majority-patients/story-19633484-detail/story.html |accessdate=30 November 2013|newspaper=This is Somerset|date=8 August 2013}}

The trust was said to regard the development of Any Qualified Provider services as an opportunity, rather than a threat.{{cite web|title=TRUSTS THAT SEE AQP AS AN OPPORTUNITY|url=http://nhsprivate.wordpress.com/executive-summary/appendix-1/trusts-that-see-aqp-as-an-opportunity/|publisher=NHS Privatisation|accessdate=30 November 2013}} It was also a key player in the attempt by trusts in the South West of England to undermine the NHS national pay bargaining system.{{cite news|title=End of links with a pay cartel welcomed|url=http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/End-links-pay-cartel-welcomed/story-18609541-detail/story.html|accessdate=30 November 2013|newspaper=Western Daily Press|date=4 April 2013}}

In March 2015, the trust took over the Isle of Wight community dental services.{{cite news|title=Somerset NHS Trust take on Isle of Wight community dental services|url=http://onthewight.com/2015/03/17/somerset-trust-take-on-isle-of-wight-community-dental-services/|accessdate=23 March 2015|publisher=On the Wight|date=17 March 2015}}