Reports Hub

Healthwatch Sefton has published its latest report, capturing the experiences of 689 local residents on how they access GP services and what improvements they would like to see. The survey, conducted between October 2024 and March 2025, offers a clear picture of what’s working – and where barriers remain.

Despite high levels of satisfaction once patients secured an appointment (89%), many described the booking process as stressful and unreliable. The average ease-of-access rating was just 4.9 out of 10, the lowest across the Cheshire and Merseyside area.

This report shares feedback that you, the patients, family and friends shared with us on accessing services at Hightown Village Surgery.

Read the latest Healthwatch Sefton Annual Report.

John Turner, Healthwatch Sefton Chair said:

“Our network of volunteers at Healthwatch Sefton have been gathering feedback and listening to real life experiences that shape, influence and importantly monitor, many new developments across health and social care.”

This report shares feedback that you, the residents of Sefton, shared with us on accessing services at Litherland Urgent Treatment Centre.

Healthwatch Sefton in partnership with People First Merseyside supports commissioners to listen to the experiences of residents with a learning disability, which will help shape next year’s local quality contract scheme for GP practices.

Community Diagnostic Centres could provide another pathway to care at a time when people are struggling to access services. But how do we maximise their potential?

In Healthwatch England latest research, we unpack people’s experiences of diagnostic hubs and put forward recommendations.

Discover what diagnostic hubs are teaching us about community-based care – and how we can apply these lessons to the broader care landscape.

We have been working with Sefton Parent Carers Forum, an active member of our steering group to gain feedback on how accessing prescriptions from Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust works. Problems with the service was an emerging theme. This report details the feedback which the forum helped us to gather and we would like the trust to review this feedback and provide us with a formal response to ensure that those accessing the prescription service in the future have a better experience.

During 2023, we were commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support to independently evaluate the Macmillan Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust (LUHFT) Cancer Community Support Service (CCSS).

Read the latest Healthwatch Sefton Annual Report.

John Turner, Healthwatch Sefton Chair said:

“During another demanding year of continuing health and social care pressures, Healthwatch Sefton has responded positively and vigorously and we wish to thank all our staff and volunteers for their contribution. Our vibrant network of locality based champions and community ambassadors, listens, gathers and responds to the in-depth real life individual experiences of our residents”

We spoke to and heard from residents living in Seaforth during outreach. We were also invited to a sheltered housing scheme to talk to residents about the on-going closure of Seaforth Village practice and the impact this was having on them.

Read one Sefton residents experience of trying to get help through their GP, NHS 111 and North West Ambulance Service.

“I now try and sort myself out as I do not want to go through the trauma of ringing the doctors.” – Patient A talking about their experience of trying to access help through their GP.

Carer ‘A’ lives in Sefton and told their story through 2022 and 2023:

Read one Sefton Residents experience with Bootle Village Surgery, Sefton Council Adult Social Care, Aintree University Hospital (LUHFT), North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Domiciliary Care – New Directions and Sefton Carers.

We wanted to give you the opportunity to share your feedback on accessing health and care services provided by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. We have listened to you, and you have shared both good experiences, and those where improvements could have been made.

We ran a short poll and invited our members and residents to tell us about their experiences of accessing NHS dental care.

60 local residents took the time to answer the questions.

This report was produced jointly by Healthwatch Liverpool and Healthwatch Sefton. On Monday 10th July 2023 we held a Listening Event at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. We spoke with patients, family members and staff at the Women’s Hospital and listened to what they had to say about their experiences. We wanted to find out what people thought was good and what they thought needed improving.