Independent consultation report

From 4 July to 3 October 2025 Shaping Care Together ran a public consultation into where A&E services should be located in Southport, Formby and West Lancashire. An independent report looking at responses to the consultation has been published.

The report, from the Centre for Health Communication Research, looks at responses from more than 5,000 people who shared their views on the options for consultation either online, or by filling in the survey in the consultation document or by writing in by email or post. It also analyses feedback from thousands of other people who took part in public meetings and other consultation activities.

You can read the report, including an executive summary here with accompanying appendices on the right hand side of this page:

Independent Consultation Report

We have also published a ‘You Said, We Did’ document that outlines the themes of issues and concerns and then the programme’s response:

You Said, We Did - Document

More detail about next steps can be found below in our FAQs.

Is the consultation still open?

No. The public consultation closed in October 2025 and remains closed.

What happens next?

No decisions have been made. We are developing the decision-making business case (DMBC), which takes into account the consultation findings alongside equality, clinical, financial, workforce and quality evidence.

The DMBC will be shared with the joint committee made up of integrated care boards of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria. A meeting will take place in early Spring 2026 and a final decision will be made in public.


Has a decision already been made?
No. No decisions have been made.

The DMBC will be considered by the joint committee made up of integrated care boards of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria early Spring 2026 and a final decision will be made in public.

Can I still submit feedback?

The consultation closed in October 2025 and remains closed. We cannot accept any new feedback.

How can I see the consultation feedback?

Feedback from the consultation is in the full independent consultation report published on the website here.

Why are you publishing this now?

We want to make sure we are open and transparent throughout the process. Sharing the findings publicly gives patients, public, staff and stakeholders time to read about the consultation feedback before the ICBs make their decision.

Will the consultation feedback change anything?

All consultation feedback will be considered alongside other evidence in the DMBC. Any changes will be set out clearly when the DMBC is published.

Feedback received during public consultation is an important factor in health service decision making. It is one of a number of important factors. Other factors include clinical, financial and practical considerations.


How can I follow the decision making process?
The joint committee of the two ICBs will meet in public in early Spring 2026. All meeting papers, including the DMBC, will also be published in advance of the meeting on both ICB websites.


Who analysed the consultation feedback?
An independent organisation called the Centre for Health Communication Research carried out the full analysis of all consultation feedback. All types of consultation responses are important, and the feedback report presents an independent analysis so that all of them may be taken into account by the programme.

When will the joint committee of the two ICBs take place?
We are currently finalising the meeting date. Once confirmed, we will publish it on our website and make sure everyone subscribed to our stakeholder newsletter receives the date.

From 4 July to 3 October 2025 Shaping Care Together ran a public consultation into where A&E services should be located in Southport, Formby and West Lancashire. An independent report looking at responses to the consultation has been published.

The report, from the Centre for Health Communication Research, looks at responses from more than 5,000 people who shared their views on the options for consultation either online, or by filling in the survey in the consultation document or by writing in by email or post. It also analyses feedback from thousands of other people who took part in public meetings and other consultation activities.

You can read the report, including an executive summary here with accompanying appendices on the right hand side of this page:

Independent Consultation Report

We have also published a ‘You Said, We Did’ document that outlines the themes of issues and concerns and then the programme’s response:

You Said, We Did - Document

More detail about next steps can be found below in our FAQs.

Is the consultation still open?

No. The public consultation closed in October 2025 and remains closed.

What happens next?

No decisions have been made. We are developing the decision-making business case (DMBC), which takes into account the consultation findings alongside equality, clinical, financial, workforce and quality evidence.

The DMBC will be shared with the joint committee made up of integrated care boards of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria. A meeting will take place in early Spring 2026 and a final decision will be made in public.


Has a decision already been made?
No. No decisions have been made.

The DMBC will be considered by the joint committee made up of integrated care boards of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria early Spring 2026 and a final decision will be made in public.

Can I still submit feedback?

The consultation closed in October 2025 and remains closed. We cannot accept any new feedback.

How can I see the consultation feedback?

Feedback from the consultation is in the full independent consultation report published on the website here.

Why are you publishing this now?

We want to make sure we are open and transparent throughout the process. Sharing the findings publicly gives patients, public, staff and stakeholders time to read about the consultation feedback before the ICBs make their decision.

Will the consultation feedback change anything?

All consultation feedback will be considered alongside other evidence in the DMBC. Any changes will be set out clearly when the DMBC is published.

Feedback received during public consultation is an important factor in health service decision making. It is one of a number of important factors. Other factors include clinical, financial and practical considerations.


How can I follow the decision making process?
The joint committee of the two ICBs will meet in public in early Spring 2026. All meeting papers, including the DMBC, will also be published in advance of the meeting on both ICB websites.


Who analysed the consultation feedback?
An independent organisation called the Centre for Health Communication Research carried out the full analysis of all consultation feedback. All types of consultation responses are important, and the feedback report presents an independent analysis so that all of them may be taken into account by the programme.

When will the joint committee of the two ICBs take place?
We are currently finalising the meeting date. Once confirmed, we will publish it on our website and make sure everyone subscribed to our stakeholder newsletter receives the date.