News and reports

Healthwatch Halton carried out an Enter & View visit to Trewan House Care Home in Widnes in November 2025. Our team spent time observing day-to-day life in the home and speaking with residents and staff to understand people’s experiences, what is working well, and where small improvements could enhance comfort, independence and quality of life.

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCH) and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WHH) are joining forces and integrating their community and hospital services, forming a single organisation in April 2026.

Healthwatch Halton and Healthwatch Warrington have come together to create a Patient and Public Reference Group to support this integration and gather views on a range of themes.

Each quarter, we look at what local people tell us about their experiences of health, care and community services in Halton, using a rolling 12-month analysis of feedback to track patterns, trends and changes over time.

This report draws on feedback from 564 local people, collected across the previous 12 months, and reflects how experiences are changing during the period October to December 2025, rather than feedback gathered solely within this quarter

Government rolling out Jess's Rule posters to all GP surgeries in England to act as reminder of a life-saving patient safety initiative.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside have established a Palliative and End of Life Care Programme Board to ensure that everyone across our region can access high-quality, equitable end of life care.

Extra appointments are now available for people in Cheshire and Merseyside who need urgent dental care – including for those who don’t have a usual dentist.

On 22 October 2025, the annual Patient Led Assessment of the Care Environment (PLACE) was carried out at Widnes Urgent Treatment Centre.

Get the New Year off to a flying start by taking part in the Dry January challenge 2026. Feel fitter, healthier and happier when you take a break from the booze.

Between August and December 2025, Healthwatch Halton carried out Listening Events at Halton Hospital and Warrington Hospital to hear directly from patients and visitors about their experiences of hospital care.

In October 2025, Healthwatch Halton and Healthwatch Knowsley visited Children’s A&E at Whiston Hospital to listen to families about their experiences of urgent care for children.
This joint Listening Event followed an earlier visit in 2024 and forms part of our ongoing programme of hospital visits. On the day, we spoke with 28 families, gathering feedback through short conversations and surveys while parents and carers waited to be seen.

This Enter and View report sets out what was heard and observed during a joint announced visit by Healthwatch Halton and Healthwatch Warrington to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments at Warrington and Halton Hospitals on 29 October 2025.

The NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside is reminding people of their healthcare options, including where to go for urgent help while their GP practice is closed during the Christmas and New Year bank holidays.