News and reports

When it's hard to find an NHS dentist, many people turn to urgent dental care to treat routine problems.

One in seven patients who have been referred by their GP are stuck waiting for specialist care due to GP referrals being delayed, lost, or rejected.

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 across Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. On the day, we spoke with 28 families, gathering feedback through short conversations and surveys while parents and carers waited to be seen.

Resident doctors are scheduled to strike from 7am on Wednesday 17 December 2025 to 7am on Monday 22 December 2025.
 
The industrial action is likely to cause significant disruption, with NHS Trusts across Cheshire and Merseyside set to be severely impacted during a challenging winter and in the run up to Christmas.
 

The NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside is calling for the public to check their regular medications and order any repeat prescriptions they might need early to avoid running out of essential medication over Christmas.

Healthwatch Halton carried out an Enter & View visit to Beechcroft Care Home in Runcorn on 16 October 2025. We spent time speaking with residents, relatives and staff to understand how people are supported, see daily life in the home, and identify what is working well along with any areas for improvement.

NHS services across Cheshire and Merseyside are under pressure, with demand for primary care, hospital services, mental health, and emergency services continuing to rise.

Mersey Care is aiming to help Cheshire and Merseyside residents cope with the stresses of the festive period with a suite of resources designed to protect their mental health during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Patients and visitors at St Helens and Whiston Hospitals have shared their experiences of care as part of Healthwatch Halton’s latest Listening Events, carried out between August and October 2025. Over several sessions, we spent time in different departments speaking with people about the care they received, how services felt, and what would make their visits easier.

A total of 59 people took part. Their conversations give an honest, balanced picture of life inside both hospitals — what is working well, and where small but important improvements could help.

This report summarises what people told us during our Listening Events at St Helens Hospital and Whiston Hospital between August and October 2025. A total of 59 people took part — most of them patients — sharing their views about care, communication, waiting times and hospital facilities.

Following a recent public consultation, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) has approved a proposal to introduce a single subfertility policy for Cheshire and Merseyside.

NHS teams in Cheshire and Merseyside are transforming the way healthcare is delivered in the region by bringing services closer to communities.