Patients have their say in annual Patient Survey
Monday, 13 July 2026
Patients across the country have shared their experience of GP practices, pharmacies and dental services.
The independent annual patient survey, run on behalf of NHS England, was published on Thursday 9 July.
The survey assesses people’s experience of healthcare services, including access, making appointments and the quality of care received from healthcare professionals.
Overall, Cheshire and Merseyside benchmarks slightly higher than the national average with 78% of patients reporting a good experience of GP practices compared to 77% nationally.
90% of patients in Cheshire and Merseyside said they had a good experience of pharmacy services compared to 98% nationally, while 77% had a positive dental experience compared to 73% across the rest of the country.
The results come as GP practices across Cheshire and Merseyside continue to deliver increasing numbers of appointments. Almost 16 million appointments were delivered in 2025 – around 300,000 more than the previous year and an increase of more than 2.8 million compared with 2019.
Insights from the survey will help the NHS to improve local health services for patients and their families.
Data is published at GP practice, Primary Care Network (PCN), Integrated Care System (ICS), and national level – in a variety of formats – including a national report, national results and trends and organisation-level reports.
See the full results and find out more about the survey here.
Local GP and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside's Executive Clinical Director, Dr Fiona Lemmens, said:
“The annual patient survey results highlight the positive experiences many people have of primary care services across Cheshire and Merseyside, thanks to the commitment of our primary care teams, who continue to work incredibly hard to deliver high-quality care.
“While Cheshire and Merseyside overall performs above the national average in many areas, with improvements seen since last year, we know there is still more to do, and although many people report a positive experience, this is not consistent for everyone. We remain committed to working with our primary care partners to improve access and deliver a consistent patient experience across the region.”