St Catherine's Health Centre, Birkenhead: patient reviews and CQC rating
St Catherine's Health Centre is a GP practice in Birkenhead with 15,667 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 80% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Cheshire and Merseyside: 78%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in November 2016. It has 8.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,775 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about St Catherine's Health Centre
Its best result against England is the share who said they were treated with care and concern: 92%, against 86% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 46%, below the England figure of 57%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 1 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 10 within it.
On overall experience it is 8th of the 10 practices in Birkenhead with 50 or more responses. 46% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 10 points higher than in 2025 (70%). 124 patients answered the survey (response rate 21%).
| Survey question | St Catherine's Health Centre | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 80% | 78% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 46% | 57% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 63% | 55% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 60% | 53% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 85% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 74% | 73% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 66% | 73% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 90% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 92% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 95% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 89% | 91% | 90% |
CQC's overall rating for St Catherine's Health Centre is Good, published in November 2016. All 5 key questions are rated Good.
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
15,667 patients were registered at St Catherine's Health Centre in September 2026, up 0.6% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
17% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 8.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,775 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and Cheshire and Merseyside's 1,971. The practice also has 3.2 nurses and 2.6 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 8.8 | 16.0 |
| August 2024 | 7.5 | 12.7 |
| August 2025 | 7.5 | 15.6 |
| August 2026 | 8.8 | 14.1 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 7,618 appointments a month, or 486 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 79% were face to face (England: 63%). 39% took place on the day they were booked and 2% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
55% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 6% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | St Catherine's Health Centre | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 486 | 492 | 510 |
| Face to face | 79% | 60% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 39% | 48% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 2% | 4% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 6% | 5% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for heart failure (2.1% against 1.1%), a learning disability (1.1% against 0.6%) and depression (25.9% against 14.3%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.7% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 40.3 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 79.8 years for women and 75.7 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 25.9% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 16.1% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.1% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.0% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 4.4% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.2% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.5% | 3.0% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.9% | 2.2% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 2.1% | 1.1% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.5% | 1.0% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 65.5% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 63.0% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 74.2% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 76.3% | 74.9% |
St Catherine's Health Centre, 2nd Floor, Wing 4, Church Road, Birkenhead, CH42 0LQ. Phone: 0151 643 6700. Website: www.stcatherinessurgery-wirral.nhs.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Whetstone Lane Medical Centre - Katherine V Gregson | 0.8 km | 80% |
| Gladstone Medical Centre - M Salahuddin | 0.9 km | 73% |
| Devaney Medical Centre | 0.9 km | 75% |
| Hamilton Medical Centre | 1.5 km | 91% |
| Drs Grey, Lodge & Mrs Draco | 1.6 km | 82% |
- Cavendish Medical Centre (91% overall experience good)
- Devaney Medical Centre (75% overall experience good)
- Dr N Mugerwa & Dr S Mugerwa (89% overall experience good)
- Dr Sekhar Karyampudi (90% overall experience good)
- Drs Green, Majeed and Shetty (70% overall experience good)
- Drs Grey, Lodge & Mrs Draco (82% overall experience good)
- Gladstone Medical Centre - M Salahuddin (73% overall experience good)
- Hamilton Medical Centre (91% overall experience good)
- Holmlands Medical Centre (89% overall experience good)
- Kings Lane Medical Practice - Dr D Kershaw (94% overall experience good)
- Miriam Medical Centre (84% overall experience good)
- Teehey Lane Medical Centre - Dr. M Salahuddin (85% overall experience good)
- The Villa Medical Centre (97% overall experience good)
- Whetstone Lane Medical Centre - Katherine V Gregson (80% overall experience good)
How do patients rate St Catherine's Health Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 80% of patients described their overall experience of St Catherine's Health Centre as good, against 77% across England. 46% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at St Catherine's Health Centre?
15,667 patients were registered in September 2026, up 0.6% on a year earlier.
What is St Catherine's Health Centre's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in November 2016.
How many GPs does St Catherine's Health Centre have?
8.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (14 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,775 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at St Catherine's Health Centre face to face?
79% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is St Catherine's Health Centre's phone number?
0151 643 6700.