News and reports

Healthwatch Halton carried out an Enter and View visit to Castlefields Health Centre as part of our programme of GP practice visits across Halton. During the visit we observed the practice environment, spoke with patients attending appointments, and gathered feedback about access to services and experiences of care.

Healthwatch Halton carried out an Enter and View visit to Brookvale Practice in 2025 as part of our programme of GP practice visits across Halton. During the visit we observed the practice environment, spoke with patients attending appointments, and gathered feedback about access, communication and experiences of care.

Healthwatch Halton carried out an Enter and View visit to Murdishaw Surgery as part of our programme of GP practice visits across Halton. During the visit we observed the practice environment, spoke with patients, and gathered feedback about access to appointments, communication and experiences of care.

A new digital platform has been launched in Cheshire and Merseyside to help guide children and young people towards safe, effective and trusted mental health apps online.

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.