Tuberculosis nursing service launched in Somerset

The Somerset TB team includes nurse specialists Jemma Evans and Kim Aspinall, administrator Kate East, and consultants Dr James Davidson and Dr Muhammad Hassaan.

Focused on reducing stigma, improving access and preventing delayed diagnoses, the team will prioritise high‑risk groups, including people experiencing homelessness, substance dependence, recent imprisonment, or those who have migrated from countries where TB is more common.

Jemma Evans, TB nurse specialist, said: "It’s also about prevention.

"We work hard to reach groups that are traditionally harder to engage, and we offer testing for latent TB – where the infection is present in the body but currently inactive – as this is another important way of stopping the disease in its tracks."

Active TB treatment involves six months of strong antibiotics that can cause severe side effects, so the service provides wrap‑around care, including blood tests, eye checks, home visits and regular phone contact.

The team also reports cases to the UK Health Security Agency and offers latent TB testing to those at risk.

Care is delivered closer to home through community clinics and GP partnerships, removing barriers such as travel costs.

Kim Aspinall, TB nurse specialist, said: "During our in‑person appointments, we check bloods, carry out eye checks, and provide regular support over the phone or via text message.

“We often run clinics at our community hospitals, where we may only see one patient, but it works much better for them when care is closer to home."

TB treatment is free on the NHS, but medication must be dispensed from either Musgrove Park or Yeovil hospitals.

The team can deliver medication to patients at home or their nearest community hospital.

With a 26 per cent rise in TB notifications in England since 2022, the team is also supporting education across primary and secondary care.

World TB Day, Tuesday, March 24, raised awareness of the global TB epidemic and marked the anniversary of Dr Robert Koch’s discovery of the TB-causing bacterium in 1882.