St Helens North PCN: primary care network practices and patient survey
St Helens North PCN is a primary care network of 6 GP practices with 30,239 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 91% of its patients described their overall experience as good, above the England figure of 77%. Its practices have 1,716 patients per qualified GP (England: 2,171).
Latest data: September 2026. Registered patients September 2026; GP Patient Survey 2026.
Across the 6 practices in St Helens North PCN with survey results, the share of patients describing their overall experience as good ranges from 78% at Garswood Surgery to 98% at Kenneth MacRae Medical Centre, with a median of 93% (England: 77%). 5 are above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error. Kenneth MacRae Medical Centre has the highest share finding it easy to get through by phone (92%, England 57%).
| Practice | Registered patients | Overall experience good | Easy to contact by phone | CQC rating | Patients per GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth MacRae Medical Centre | 4,318 | 98% | 92% | Good | 1,499 |
| Rainford Health Centre | 4,786 | 97% | 90% | Good | 1,744 |
| Windermere Medical Centre | 3,902 | 93% | 83% | Good | 5,046 |
| Billinge Medical Practice | 7,641 | 93% | 78% | Inadequate | 1,731 |
| Bethany Medical Centre | 4,257 | 86% | 85% | Good | 1,848 |
| Garswood Surgery | 5,335 | 78% | 84% | Good | 1,184 |
Results for the network as a whole, from 666 responses, against Cheshire and Merseyside and England.
| Survey question | St Helens North PCN | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 91% | 78% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 85% | 57% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 78% | 55% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 70% | 53% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 94% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 85% | 73% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 79% | 73% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 91% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 92% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 95% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 94% | 91% | 90% |
There are 1,716 registered patients per full-time-equivalent qualified GP in St Helens North PCN, fewer than England's 2,171 and Cheshire and Merseyside's 1,971. Practices recorded 611 appointments a month per 1,000 patients (England: 510), 49% of them face to face. 44% of appointments took place on the day they were booked (England: 45%).
25% of registered patients are aged 65 or over (England: 19%). Lists grew by 0.9% over the year (England: shrank 1.1%).
| Measure | St Helens North PCN | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients per qualified GP | 1,716 | 1,971 | 2,171 |
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 611 | 492 | 510 |
| Face-to-face appointments | 49% | 60% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 44% | 48% | 45% |
| Did not attend | 4% | 5% | 4% |
| Patients aged 65 or over | 25% | 20% | 19% |
Relative to England, the register furthest above England's rate at practices in St Helens North PCN is palliative care (0.9% against 0.6%), and the furthest below is osteoporosis (0.7% against 1.2%).
| Condition register | Age group | St Helens North PCN (2024/25) | England | Patients on register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 21.5% | 15.2% | 6,373 |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 18.7% | 14.3% | 4,578 |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.9% | 6.6% | 2,526 |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.1% | 7.9% | 2,017 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 6.0% | 4.6% | 1,470 |
| Cancer | All ages | 5.0% | 3.8% | 1,494 |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 4.8% | 3.0% | 1,412 |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 3.4% | 2.2% | 1,019 |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.4% | 1.9% | 702 |
| COPD | All ages | 2.4% | 1.9% | 701 |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.4% | 1.1% | 406 |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% | 276 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% | 233 |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.9% | 1.0% | 272 |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% | 205 |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.8% | 0.8% | 241 |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.8% | 0.6% | 241 |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.7% | 1.2% | 93 |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% | 138 |
- Chaw (Chelford, Handforth, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow) PCN (6 practices)
- Nantwich & Rural PCN (5 practices)
- Newton and Haydock PCN (4 practices)
- Princeway PCN (2 practices)
- Rural Alliance PCN (5 practices)
- St Helens Central PCN (8 practices)
- St Helens South PCN (10 practices)
- Warrington Central East PCN (5 practices)
Which practices are in St Helens North PCN?
Bethany Medical Centre, Billinge Medical Practice, Garswood Surgery, Kenneth MacRae Medical Centre, Rainford Health Centre and Windermere Medical Centre.
How do patients rate St Helens North PCN?
91% described their overall experience as good in the 2026 GP Patient Survey, above the England figure of 77%.
How many patients does St Helens North PCN cover?
30,239 registered patients across 6 practices in September 2026.
How many patients per GP does St Helens North PCN have?
1,716 per full-time-equivalent qualified GP, against 2,171 across England.