Our Cheshire and Merseyside Transformation Plans outline the Cancer Alliance's planned initiatives over the coming year including individual Programme plans. These plans also contain Data Packs for all nine Place geographies across the system with information on cancer in each area, including cancer incidence, mortality, early diagnosis statistics and deprivation indices.

CMCA GP Lead: Dr Katherine Butler via ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net

Introduction

Cheshire West place covers a large, diverse geographical area of 917 square kilometres (354 square miles) which borders south Wirral, Halton and Warrington in the north, Shropshire to the south, North Wales to the west and stretches east to encompass the mid Cheshire towns of Northwich and Winsford. 

The area encompasses diverse urban and rural localities, with the main urban centres being the city of Chester and the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Ellesmere Port. The total population is 357,700. 

Cheshire West place is an affluent area overall with an IMD score of 3/10 but there are localities with significant deprivation within the borough and stark differences in prosperity levels between different neighbourhoods. The borough has a higher proportion of elderly residents compared to the average.  

Cancer rates in Cheshire West are 16% higher than the average for England. 

Cancers of the respiratory tract account for the highest percentage of cancer diagnoses for the area. 

For granular data regarding cancer in your locality, please register for the PRACTICE Dashboard.


Place specific projects

  • Pilot of mobile breast screening unit in Ellesmere Port to improve breast screening uptake amongst eligible patients in the locality.
  • Pilot of Dermatology hubs using medical photography and AI technology to triage urgent suspected skin cancer referrals for adult patients. 
  • Smoking cessation project with CMCA and Brio Leisure looking at role of primary care staff in supporting patients in at risk groups to access smoking cessation services to prevent cancer. 
  • Bleeding on HRT pathway pilot with Countess of Chester Hospital. 

Key Place Contacts

  • There is a cancer services committee at the Countess of Chester Hospital. 
  • Place commissioning is through the Living Well Team of Cheshire West Place. 
  • Programme Manager: Alison Johnson
  • Living Well GP Clinical Lead: Dr Katherine Butler

Trusts place works with

The local hospital trusts serving Cheshire West and Chester patients are Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust and Wirral University Teaching Hospital. 
 

CMCA GP Lead: Dr Rhian Thomas via ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net

Introduction:

Halton Place covers the towns of Widnes and Runcorn. These form the two Primary Care networks within Halton. Total population of around 130 000.

Overview of Place Demographics

Halton has a higher Deprivation score (IMD 2019) with a higher rate of new cancer cases than Cheshire and Merseyside, or England. 

For granular data regarding cancer in your locality, please register for the PRACTICE Dashboard.

Place specific innovation and projects

  • Halton is part of the Lung Cancer Screening programme (formerly known as Targeted Lung health Checks) https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/lung-health-check/
  • The Two Minutes of Chat & An Early Screening campaign is set in Halton and features local residents in conversation about cancer screening to raise awareness and knowledge of early detection of cancer. https://cmcanceralliance.nhs.uk/two-minutes
  • Halton participated in the Mobile Cervical Screening Pilot Jan-March 2025 which involved the Living Well Bus delivering drop in cervical screening at various locations around Halton. The initial evaluation is now being considered as part of work to improve cervical screening uptake in 25/26

Key Place Contacts

The Halton Cancer Improvement Group meets bi-monthly, bringing together representatives from the Local Authority, health services, and community organisations to collaboratively identify and implement actions that improve cancer outcomes. The group operates as a partnership and is accountable to the Live Well Steering Group, which is a subgroup of the One Halton Health and Wellbeing Board

Trusts Halton works with

The two hospital trusts geographically nearest to Halton are Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals, and Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.
 

CMCA GP Lead: Dr Rhian Thomas via ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net

Introduction

Knowsley contains three Primary Care Networks (PCNs): Kirkby, West Knowsley and South and Central Knowsley.

Overview of Place Demographics

Knowsley has a population of approximately 152,000. Despite experiencing economic growth over the past decade, deprivation remains a significant challenge. Based on the Indices of Deprivation, Knowsley is ranked as the second most deprived local authority area in England. The cancer incidence rate in Knowsley is significantly higher than the national average and aligns with the average across Cheshire and Merseyside.
For granular data regarding cancer in your locality, please register for the PRACTICE Dashboard.

Place specific innovation and projects

  • Knowsley is involved in the Lung Cancer Screening programme (formerly TLHC). 
  • Teledermatology is used via the AI pilot at MWL.
  • Knowsley participated in the Living Well bus mobile cervical screening pilot in 2025

Key Place contacts

  • Dr Andrew Fisher: ICB Clinical Lead
  • Neil Meadowcroft: ICB Manager

Trusts Place works with

  • For the majority of Knowsley residents, the nearest hospitals are the University Hospital of Liverpool (Aintree site) and the Whiston site of Mersey and West Lancashire NHS Trust. 
  • Breast screening services are primarily provided by the University Hospitals of Liverpool, although a number of Prescot practices are covered by the Warrington and Halton Hospitals service.
     

CMCA GP Lead: Dr Jillian Kirkman via ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net

Introduction:

Liverpool Place has approximately 551, 240 residents and is made up of 9 Primary Care Networks (PCN)

Place Demographics

Approximately 19,500 people have been diagnosed or are living with cancer, with an overall cancer prevalence of 3.5%. Approximately 343,000 people in Liverpool (62%) live in areas ranked within the two most deprived quintiles (1&2) according to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).

Information can be found on the Cheshire & Merseyside PRACTICE Dashboard.

Place specific innovation and projects

  • Liverpool is working with the Lung Screening Team, (formerly TLHC Targeted Lung Health Checks).
  • We are supporting the mobile screening pilot in lots of different locations.
  • We have a lot of PCN activity around cancer screening promotion, including specific work with the Asian community and other ethnic groups, with the LGBTIQ+ community and the homeless.     
  • Call for a Kit (looking at those due or overdue bowel screening) are working with Liverpool.     
  • We are also engaged in a unique project aimed at educating hairdressers about cancer screening.
  • We also are involved with the pilot of Unscheduled Bleeding on HRT

Place contacts

We have a North Mersey Community of Practice meeting every 4th Friday of the month, for GPs, Liverpool Place cancer team members, care coordinators, members from the screening teams and Liverpool City Council. 

  • Michelle Timoney - Head of Community Services and Cancer,         
  • Sarah Hurn - Project Manager, Delivery Team: Liverpool Place, 
  • Cathy Hubbert - GP Clinical Lead, Liverpool Place             

Trusts place works with:

The Liverpool population is served by  Liverpool University  Hospital Foundation Trust (Royal Liverpool and Aintree Hospitals) Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Clatterbridge, The Walton Centre, Liverpool Women's Hospital and Alder Hey Hospital.
 

CMCA GP Lead: Dr Octavia Stevens via ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net

Introduction 

Sefton is a vibrant and diverse borough and whilst overall health is improving, significant gaps in health and life expectancy remain between those living in least and most deprived areas. 

Sefton place has 2 PCNs; 

Place areas for improvement - cervical screening – (all ages) and breast cancer screening; 

  • Bowel – 70.7% (meets or exceeds target)  
  • Breast - 69.2% (<= 10% less than target) 

Cervical:  

  • (25-49) 65.9% (>10% less than target) 
  • (50-64) 69.9% (> 10% less than target) 

Overview of place demographics 

  • Population: 260,653 
  • 14,078 patients currently diagnosed with cancer 
  • 5.4% cancer prevalence (higher than average c/w ICB at 4.6%) 
  • 33% of patients are in the most deprived quintile, and 12% in the least deprived 

For granular data regarding cancer in your locality, please register for the PRACTICE Dashboard.

Place Specific innovations and projects 

Local referral pathways information/ guidance 

  • NSRDS (North and South Sefton) North Sefton – refer via MWLTH, South Sefton refer via LUTH 
  • Direct access CT chest following abnormal CXR (North Sefton) 
  • Straight to CT suspected ovarian cancer pathway (North Sefton) 

Key Place Contacts /Sefton Community of practice: 

  • North Mersey community of practice - meet on 4th Fridays of every month – led by; Sarah Hurn, Project Manager, Delivery Team: Liverpool Place

Sefton Place contacts 

  • Sarah McGrath - Senior Manager cancer and long-term Conditions, Transformation and Partnerships Sefton place 

South Sefton PCN contacts 

  • Dr Craig Gillespie - PCN Clinical director
  • Marie Derbeyshire - Projects and performance manager 
  • Rachel Stead - PCN manager 

Southport and Formby PCN contacts 

  • Dr Rob Caudwell – PCN Clinical director 
  • Clare Touhey – PCN manager 
  • Matty Smith – PCN Deputy manager 

Trusts place works with 

  • Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 
  • Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 
  • Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust,  
  • The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust,  
  • The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre 

Any other useful information 

Southport and Formby PCN fund a team of Cancer Link Workers though Southport Macmillan Cancer Centre. They offer support to patients with a new cancer diagnosis and those living with cancer. GPs can refer in via an EMIS task.

CMCA GP Lead: Dr Rachel Skelly via ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net

Introduction

St Helens Place comprises four Primary Care Networks (PCNs)—North, South, Central, and Newton & Haydock—which collectively include 28 GP surgeries serving over 190,000 patients. 

The key priorities for the area are to:

  • Reduce health inequalities
  • Achieve faster and earlier cancer diagnoses
  • Encourage patient engagement with cancer screening programmes
  • Improve the general health of the population

Overview of Place Demographics

Cancer prevalence in St Helens is approximately 5%. Of those diagnosed, over 50% live in areas ranked within the two most deprived quintiles according to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).
For granular data regarding cancer in your locality, please register for the PRACTICE Dashboard.

Place specific innovation and projects

  • Breast cancer screening data/coding review
  • Lung Cancer Screening Programme 
  • Cervical screening - increased access/appointments for smears in Enhanced access clinics, Women's Health Hubs & Cervical smear buses.
  • Pilot Well man clinics identifying high risk cohorts for prostate cancer 
  • Pilot Unscheduled Bleeding on Hormone Replacement Therapy pathway.

Local referral pathways information/guidance

Key Place Contacts

  • Clinical Director: Dr Goubran Eskander  
  • Commissioner: Shaun Alexander 

Trusts place works with

Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (Whiston and St Helens Hospitals)

Any other useful information

  • PLT November 2025 - Cancer Update - Agenda TBC

CMCA GP Lead: Dr Jonathon Minns via ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net

Introduction:

Wirral is home to approximately 320,000 residents. The area is served by Arrowe Park Hospital and also hosts the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre Wirral site. Around one in three people in Wirral are affected by cancer, and one in four deaths annually are cancer-related. WUTH diagnoses over 3,000 new cancer cases each year. Encouragingly, more than 50% of those diagnosed survive beyond 10 years.

The national goal is to increase early cancer diagnosis so that 75% of cases are identified at stage I or II by 2028. A key area for improvement locally is addressing longstanding health inequalities and outcome disparities between East and West Wirral.

Please use the following links for more data or information:

Place Demographics

According to the 2019 Indices of Deprivation, Wirral was ranked as the 77th most deprived local authority out of 317 in England. Approximately 35% of the population live in areas classified among the 20% most deprived nationally, with over 83,000 residents living in the 10% most deprived areas. The borough also has a relatively older population and a lower proportion of people in their twenties and thirties compared to both the Liverpool City Region and England as a whole. There is a significant gap in life expectancy between wards in the east and west of Wirral, highlighting persistent health inequalities.

For granular data regarding cancer in your locality, please register for the PRACTICE Dashboard.

Place specific innovation and projects

There are a range of place specific initiatives as well as regional projects currently running on Wirral:

  • Targeted Lung Health Checks have been running since last summer and return in September 
  • There are cancer prehabilitation programmes and the Wirral Integrated Cancer Service. 
  • There is a Cancer Early Detection Community Engagement Programme.

Place contacts

Please use this link for other local services and contacts: Cancer Services | Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Trusts place works with:

  • Wirral University Teaching Hospital
  • The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals of Liverpool Group
  • The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust

Any other useful information

There are a number of third sector/charitable organisations supporting cancer care across Wirral: