PATIENTS at Warrington and Halton hospitals have highlighted a series of areas where their experience of NHS care could be improved – including delays getting a hospital bed, support for patients with mental health needs and information provided to families before discharge.
The findings come from the 2025 NHS Adult Inpatient Survey by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), covering patients treated at the newly named North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Warrington Hospital and Halton Hospital.
The report states nationally many people are reporting a better experience of hospital inpatient care than a year ago, with a greater number of respondents rating their overall experience as ten out of ten. However, the results still indicate some aspects of patient care where people have a poorer experience.
At Warrington & Halton Hospitals, a total of 1,250 patients were invited to participate, with 408 completing the survey, giving the Trust a response rate of 38 per cent, down from 41 per cent the previous year. Some 79 per cent of respondents had been admitted through an urgent or emergency route, compared with 21 per cent whose admission was planned.
One of the clearest areas of concern was the wait to get to a bed on a ward after arriving at hospital.
The Trust scored 5.6, compared with a national average of 6.0, putting the issue among its five weakest results when compared with other NHS trusts.
But the report highlights concerns beyond simply waiting for a bed.
Its five lowest-performing areas relative to the national average were:
waiting to get a bed after arriving at hospital – 5.6
whether staff took account of patients’ mental health needs – 5.2
whether staff took account of cultural needs – 7.0
information about the risks and benefits of treatment on a virtual ward – 6.1
whether families or carers received the information needed to care for patients at home – 5.6.
The findings around discharge could prove particularly significant for families. The survey specifically examined whether relatives and carers were given sufficient information to care for patients once they returned home – and this produced a score of 5.6, placing it among the Trust’s bottom five results against the national average.
There was also evidence of a deterioration in patients’ perceptions of how they were treated.
The score for whether patients felt they were treated with respect and dignity fell from 9.2 in 2024 to 8.9 in 2025, a change the report classifies as statistically significant.
Overall hospital experience, however, remained unchanged at 7.9, with the report showing no statistically significant change from 2024.
The Trust’s overall results were broadly in line with other NHS organisations, with 49 questions classed as about the same, one significantly better and two significantly worse than the previous year.
There were positive findings too. Patients reported strong experiences around being treated with kindness and compassion, while some individual-needs measures also performed well.
But the survey nevertheless highlights several pressure points – particularly getting patients into beds, meeting mental health and cultural needs, communicating with virtual-ward patients and ensuring families are properly equipped to support patients after they leave hospital.
For Warrington patients and their families, the results provide a fresh snapshot of where the local NHS needs to improve – at a time when pressure on hospitals and demand for services remain intense.
Ali Kennah, chief nurse for North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This national inpatient survey is one of the many ways we gather important feedback from our patients and their families. We welcome all feedback about our services, as it helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we can continue to improve.
“We are pleased that patients have once again shared positive feedback about the confidence and trust they have in our nursing staff and doctors, as well as feeling included in conversations about their care and being treated with kindness and compassion.
“It is also encouraging to see that the support our teams provide to help patients access information and communicate in ways that meet their needs continues to be well received.
“Whilst our results remain largely in line with previous years, we recognise there are areas where we need to improve, particularly around the time patients spend waiting for a bed and the support available to patients when they are ready to leave our care.
“We are committed to providing the best patient care and experience and will use the findings from this survey to support our ongoing work to learn, improve and build on the progress already being made.”
Meanwhile, Lydia Hughes, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Warrington & Halton welcomed the publication of the latest NHS Adult Inpatient Survey, which provides valuable insight into the experiences of patients receiving care at Warrington and Halton hospitals.
She said: “It is encouraging to see that overall patient experience remained stable compared with the previous year and that many patients continued to report positive experiences of care. In particular, patients rated staff highly for treating them with kindness and compassion, demonstrating the commitment and dedication shown by frontline teams despite the significant pressures facing NHS services.
“It is also positive that the majority of the Trust’s survey results were broadly in line with those seen across other NHS organisations, suggesting that many aspects of care continue to meet the standards patients expect. These findings reflect the hard work of staff who continue to deliver care in an increasingly challenging environment.
“However, the survey also highlights areas where improvement is needed. Healthwatch Warrington is particularly concerned by findings relating to the time patients wait to get a bed after arriving at hospital, as well as the lower scores around support for patients’ mental health needs and consideration of cultural needs. These are important elements of personalised care and can have a significant impact on a patient’s overall experience.
“We are also concerned about the findings relating to discharge support, especially whether families and carers receive enough information to help care for patients when they return home. Good communication and effective discharge planning are vital for ensuring patients feel confident and supported once they leave hospital and can play an important role in preventing avoidable readmissions.
“While it is encouraging that patients continue to recognise the compassion of hospital staff, the reported decline in scores relating to respect and dignity is disappointing and should be carefully examined. Every patient should feel listened to, valued and treated with dignity throughout their care journey.
“Healthwatch Warrington will continue to champion the views of patients, carers and families and work with local health providers to ensure feedback such as this is used to drive meaningful improvements. We hope the Trust will take the opportunity to explore the reasons behind these findings and focus on the areas identified by patients where further progress is needed.”
