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Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

NHS trust · North West · England · code RBN

This page reports published statistics; it is not medical advice and does not rate the trust.

NHS England counted 83,764 referral-to-treatment pathways waiting at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust at the end of August 2026. That is up 10% from 76,046 in August 2025. It is the highest figure in the 13 periods shown here.

At the end of August 2026, 65.0% of the pathways waiting at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had been waiting under 18 weeks, according to NHS England. That is 1.4 percentage points higher than in August 2025 (63.6%). That is 27.0 points below the 92% the standard sets out.

In September 2026, 73.3% of A&E attendances at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust ended in admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours, NHS England reports. That is the same as in September 2025. That is 21.7 points below the 95% the standard sets out.

In August 2026, 80.7% of patients on the 62-day cancer pathway at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust started treatment within 62 days, NHS England reports. That is the same as in April 2025. That is 4.3 points below the 85% the standard sets out.

At the end of August 2026, 19.1% of the people on the diagnostic waiting list at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust had been waiting six weeks or more, NHS England reports. That is 4.2 percentage points higher than in August 2025 (14.9%).

The Care Quality Commission's latest published overall rating for Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is “Outstanding”, published on 20 March 2019.

Planned care waiting times

Waiting list (referral to treatment)
83,764
August 2026 · NHS England
Incomplete pathways: a person waiting for two treatments counts twice.
Waiting under 18 weeks
65.0%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England reports waiting times against the 92% standard: 92% of patients waiting to start treatment should have waited less than 18 weeks. Source
Waiting more than 52 weeks
1,752
August 2026 · NHS England
84k73k August 2025August 2026
67.2%0.0% August 2025August 2026
1,9221,030 August 2025August 2026
Waiting list (referral to treatment)
August 202576,046
September 202576,984
October 202576,480
November 202574,838
December 202573,780
January 202672,747
February 202674,555
March 202676,787
April 202678,814
May 202680,142
June 202681,118
July 202683,620
August 202683,764
Waiting under 18 weeks
August 202563.6%
September 202564.2%
October 202563.9%
November 202562.7%
December 202562.8%
January 202661.7%
February 202663.4%
March 202666.5%
April 202666.8%
May 202667.2%
June 202666.8%
July 202666.6%
August 202665.0%
Waiting more than 52 weeks
August 20251,922
September 20251,767
October 20251,562
November 20251,533
December 20251,495
January 20261,455
February 20261,283
March 20261,030
April 20261,110
May 20261,343
June 20261,468
July 20261,695
August 20261,752

A&E

A&E: seen within 4 hours (all types)
73.3%
September 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard for A&E waiting times is that 95% of patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within 4 hours of arrival. Source
A&E: waits of 12 hours or more from decision to admit
439
September 2026 · NHS England
Counts patients who waited 12 hours or more from the decision to admit to admission (sometimes called trolley waits), not 12 hours from arrival.
A&E attendances in the month
25,375
September 2026 · NHS England
74.7%0.0% September 2025September 2026
573367 September 2025September 2026
26k22k September 2025September 2026
A&E: seen within 4 hours (all types)
September 202573.3%
October 202572.9%
November 202571.7%
December 202569.8%
January 202672.6%
February 202671.8%
March 202674.7%
April 202673.8%
May 202673.0%
June 202672.6%
July 202673.2%
August 202673.7%
September 202673.3%
A&E: waits of 12 hours or more from decision to admit
September 2025367
October 2025508
November 2025471
December 2025497
January 2026573
February 2026480
March 2026514
April 2026471
May 2026493
June 2026403
July 2026503
August 2026436
September 2026439
A&E attendances in the month
September 202524,489
October 202526,163
November 202525,093
December 202525,148
January 202624,785
February 202622,484
March 202625,674
April 202624,859
May 202625,748
June 202625,424
July 202625,860
August 202624,716
September 202625,375

Cancer waiting times

Cancer: told within 28 days (Faster Diagnosis Standard)
66.3%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that 80% of people are told they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out, within 28 days of an urgent referral. Source
Cancer: treated within 31 days of decision to treat
96.2%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that 96% of people begin treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat. Source
Cancer: treated within 62 days
80.7%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that 85% of people begin first definitive treatment within 62 days. Source
81.3%0.0% April 2025August 2026
96.8%0.0% April 2025August 2026
85.8%0.0% April 2025August 2026
Cancer: told within 28 days (Faster Diagnosis Standard)
April 202567.9%
May 202565.7%
June 202568.2%
July 202563.6%
August 202564.5%
September 202565.9%
October 202570.9%
November 202575.9%
December 202576.8%
January 202674.8%
February 202681.3%
March 202680.5%
April 202676.0%
May 202676.8%
June 202673.0%
July 202672.4%
August 202666.3%
Cancer: treated within 31 days of decision to treat
April 202590.2%
May 202593.3%
June 202594.7%
July 202596.1%
August 202594.9%
September 202591.3%
October 202593.4%
November 202593.6%
December 202594.5%
January 202693.5%
February 202696.1%
March 202696.8%
April 202695.5%
May 202694.9%
June 202696.0%
July 202695.5%
August 202696.2%
Cancer: treated within 62 days
April 202580.7%
May 202580.1%
June 202575.9%
July 202579.4%
August 202581.3%
September 202576.1%
October 202575.6%
November 202578.3%
December 202580.5%
January 202678.3%
February 202680.3%
March 202685.8%
April 202680.4%
May 202681.8%
June 202676.2%
July 202678.0%
August 202680.7%

Diagnostic tests

Waiting six weeks or more for a diagnostic test
19.1%
August 2026 · NHS England
Standard: NHS England: the operational standard is that less than 1% of patients should wait six weeks or more for a diagnostic test. Source
Diagnostic waiting list
17,987
August 2026 · NHS England
21.2%0.0% August 2025August 2026
18k13k August 2025August 2026
Waiting six weeks or more for a diagnostic test
August 202514.9%
September 20259.3%
October 20255.9%
November 20255.6%
December 20256.4%
January 202612.4%
February 20267.1%
March 202613.3%
April 202617.5%
May 202619.4%
June 202619.4%
July 202621.2%
August 202619.1%
Diagnostic waiting list
August 202515,389
September 202514,638
October 202514,175
November 202512,966
December 202513,023
January 202613,084
February 202613,435
March 202615,753
April 202616,966
May 202616,380
June 202617,306
July 202618,296
August 202617,987

Care Quality Commission rating

The Care Quality Commission's latest published overall rating for Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is “Outstanding”, published on 20 March 2019. CQC page for this provider.

Hospital sites

Main hospital sites registered to Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in the NHS Organisation Data Service. Figures on this page are for the whole organisation, not for individual sites.

Comparing the UK nations

England measures planned-care waits from referral to treatment against an 18-week standard, and diagnostic waits against six weeks. Scotland and Wales measure differently, so their figures are not directly comparable (NHS England notes that each UK country has its own targets and standards).

Local areas

Council areas linked to this organisation: Knowsley · Sefton · St. Helens · West Lancashire

Where Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust sits in the ladder of power

The bodies above Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the council areas it serves. How the ten levels work.

  1. Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors

    • Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust this page

  2. Level 6: National government

  3. Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies

  4. Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies

  5. Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance

    • International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
    • World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.

  6. Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums

    • G7 The UK is one of the seven members.
    • G20 The UK is a G20 member.

Related figures

NHS waiting list (England) · NHS employment

Sources

NHS trusts and health boards · how these figures are presented · built 15 October 2026