St Helens South PCN: primary care network practices and patient survey
St Helens South PCN is a primary care network of 10 GP practices with 87,531 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 78% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England. Its practices have 2,322 patients per qualified GP (England: 2,171).
Latest data: September 2026. Registered patients September 2026; GP Patient Survey 2026.
Across the 10 practices in St Helens South PCN with survey results, the share of patients describing their overall experience as good ranges from 65% at Atlas Medical Practice to 90% at Rainhill Village Surgery, with a median of 80% (England: 77%). 3 are above England and 2 below by more than the survey's margin of error. Rainhill Village Surgery has the highest share finding it easy to get through by phone (78%, England 57%).
| Practice | Registered patients | Overall experience good | Easy to contact by phone | CQC rating | Patients per GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainhill Village Surgery | 6,752 | 90% | 78% | Good | 1,558 |
| Eccleston Medical Centre | 6,590 | 88% | 74% | Good | 4,943 |
| Mill Street Medical Centre | 10,176 | 87% | 55% | Good | 2,097 |
| Longton Medical Centre | 9,333 | 82% | 65% | Good | 2,573 |
| The Spinney Medical Centre | 7,034 | 80% | 53% | Good | 1,418 |
| Rainbow Medical Centre | 14,907 | 79% | 53% | Good | 1,876 |
| Berrymead Medical Centre | 8,335 | 75% | 51% | Good | 3,473 |
| Four Acre Health Centre | 7,945 | 70% | 43% | Requires improvement | 2,041 |
| Bowery Medical Centre | 5,130 | 67% | 57% | Good | 4,093 |
| Atlas Medical Practice | 11,329 | 65% | 42% | Good | 3,662 |
Results for the network as a whole, from 1,100 responses, against Cheshire and Merseyside and England.
| Survey question | St Helens South PCN | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 78% | 78% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 56% | 57% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 62% | 55% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 59% | 53% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 88% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 73% | 73% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 73% | 73% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 89% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 86% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 95% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 92% | 91% | 90% |
There are 2,322 registered patients per full-time-equivalent qualified GP in St Helens South PCN, close to England's 2,171 and Cheshire and Merseyside's 1,971. Practices recorded 412 appointments a month per 1,000 patients (England: 510), 62% of them face to face. 49% of appointments took place on the day they were booked (England: 45%).
20% of registered patients are aged 65 or over (England: 19%). Lists grew by 0.5% over the year (England: shrank 1.1%).
| Measure | St Helens South PCN | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients per qualified GP | 2,322 | 1,971 | 2,171 |
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 412 | 492 | 510 |
| Face-to-face appointments | 62% | 60% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 49% | 48% | 45% |
| Did not attend | 5% | 5% | 4% |
| Patients aged 65 or over | 20% | 20% | 19% |
Relative to England, the register furthest above England's rate at practices in St Helens South PCN is peripheral arterial disease (0.9% against 0.6%), and the furthest below is osteoporosis (0.8% against 1.2%).
| Condition register | Age group | St Helens South PCN (2024/25) | England | Patients on register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 21.5% | 14.3% | 15,001 |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 18.3% | 15.2% | 15,893 |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.6% | 7.9% | 6,082 |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.2% | 6.6% | 6,668 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 4.9% | 4.6% | 3,379 |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 4.3% | 3.0% | 3,699 |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.2% | 3.8% | 3,671 |
| COPD | All ages | 2.8% | 1.9% | 2,462 |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.7% | 2.2% | 2,368 |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.1% | 1.9% | 1,827 |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1,200 |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1,078 |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.1% | 0.8% | 741 |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.9% | 0.8% | 797 |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% | 739 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% | 591 |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.8% | 1.2% | 268 |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% | 593 |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% | 562 |
- 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 North PCN (6 practices)
- Warrington Central East PCN (5 practices)
Which practices are in St Helens South PCN?
Atlas Medical Practice, Berrymead Medical Centre, Bowery Medical Centre, Eccleston Medical Centre, Four Acre Health Centre, Longton Medical Centre, Mill Street Medical Centre, Rainbow Medical Centre, Rainhill Village Surgery and The Spinney Medical Centre.
How do patients rate St Helens South PCN?
78% described their overall experience as good in the 2026 GP Patient Survey, against 77% across England.
How many patients does St Helens South PCN cover?
87,531 registered patients across 10 practices in September 2026.
How many patients per GP does St Helens South PCN have?
2,322 per full-time-equivalent qualified GP, against 2,171 across England.