Bowery Medical Centre, St Helens: patient reviews and CQC rating
Bowery Medical Centre is a GP practice in St Helens with 5,130 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 67% of its patients described their overall experience as good, below the England figure of 77% (Cheshire and Merseyside: 78%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in November 2018. It has 1.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 4,093 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Bowery Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 67%, against 54% across England. Its weakest is the share who described their last contact with the practice as good: 56%, below the England figure of 73%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 5 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 6 within it.
On overall experience it is 20th of the 22 practices in St Helens with 50 or more responses. 57% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 9 points lower than in 2025 (76%). 84 patients answered the survey (response rate 17%).
| Survey question | Bowery Medical Centre | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 67% | 78% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 57% | 57% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 57% | 55% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 67% | 53% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 83% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 56% | 73% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 54% | 73% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 73% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 71% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 95% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 88% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 85% of 74 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Bowery Medical Centre is Good, published in November 2018. All 5 key questions are rated Good.
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
5,130 patients were registered at Bowery Medical Centre in September 2026, up 2.6% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
15% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 1.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 4,093 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Cheshire and Merseyside's 1,971. The practice also has 0.7 nurses (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| August 2024 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| August 2025 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| August 2026 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 1,916 appointments a month, or 373 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 67% were face to face (England: 63%). 54% took place on the day they were booked and 1% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
55% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 8% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Bowery Medical Centre | Cheshire and Merseyside | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 373 | 492 | 510 |
| Face to face | 67% | 60% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 54% | 48% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 8% | 5% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for serious mental illness (1.8% against 1.0%), depression (19.9% against 14.3%) and COPD (2.6% against 1.9%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.2% against 1.2%), palliative or supportive care needs (0.2% against 0.6%) and heart failure (0.5% against 1.1%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 32.6 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 80.6 years for women and 77.2 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 19.9% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 13.1% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 9.0% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 3.3% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.2% | 3.0% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 3.0% | 4.6% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.6% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.8% | 1.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 65.2% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 65.3% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 64.8% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 61.8% | 74.9% |
Bowery Medical Centre, Elephant Lane, St Helens, WA9 5PR. Phone: 01744 816837. Website: www.ssphealth.com.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| The Spinney Medical Centre | 0.7 km | 80% |
| Bethany Medical Centre | 1.9 km | 86% |
| Eccleston Medical Centre | 1.9 km | 88% |
| Longton Medical Centre | 2.2 km | 82% |
| Rainhill Village Surgery | 2.3 km | 90% |
- Atlas Medical Practice (65% overall experience good)
- Berrymead Medical Centre (75% overall experience good)
- Eccleston Medical Centre (88% overall experience good)
- Four Acre Health Centre (70% overall experience good)
- Longton Medical Centre (82% overall experience good)
- Mill Street Medical Centre (87% overall experience good)
- Rainbow Medical Centre (79% overall experience good)
- Rainhill Village Surgery (90% overall experience good)
- The Spinney Medical Centre (80% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Bowery Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 67% of patients described their overall experience of Bowery Medical Centre as good, below the England figure of 77%. 57% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Bowery Medical Centre?
5,130 patients were registered in September 2026, up 2.6% on a year earlier.
What is Bowery Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in November 2018.
How many GPs does Bowery Medical Centre have?
1.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (3 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 4,093 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Bowery Medical Centre face to face?
67% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Bowery Medical Centre's phone number?
01744 816837.