As we look back on 2025, we are incredibly proud of the scale, reach and quality of support delivered by Wirral Ways. Every figure represents people being supported, conversations that mattered and steps taken towards improved health, stability and wellbeing.
It is also important to be open about how this data is captured. Much of what follows reflects recorded activity, and some of the most meaningful support happens through informal check-ins, encouragement and relationship-building that is not always recorded or can’t be recorded. This means the impact described here reflects a strong picture, but not the full story.
Supporting people, day in and day out
Throughout 2025, over 3,500 people were actively accessing structured support through Wirral Ways. This reflects the scale of ongoing engagement across the Peninsula and the consistency of support being provided day to day. At the time writing this 2,000 were currently open to us in structured treatment.
Across the year, our teams recorded 117,330 contacts with people in structured treatment and support. These logged interactions reflect sustained engagement and do not include informal conversations or brief check-ins that often help people stay connected.
These recorded contacts included:
- 30,813 recovery worker contacts, providing one-to-one support, guidance and encouragement
- 27,369 contacts with other professionals, showing strong partnership working across health, housing, criminal justice and community services
- 16,822 service user plan reviews, helping ensure support remains responsive and person centred
- 6,539 full risk reviews, supporting people to stay safe and well
- 6,500 groupwork contacts, reflecting structured group engagement
- 5,255 pharmacy liaison contacts, supporting safe and consistent access to medication
- 1,363 home visits, helping people engage with support in ways that work for them
Together, this shows a service that is active, responsive and built around relationships.
👉 Thinking about support for yourself or someone else? Find out how to access Wirral Ways or make a referral.
Progress, stability and positive outcomes
Supporting people to make progress, in their own time and in their own way, sits at the heart of our work.
During 2025:
- 955 people successfully completed treatment, reflecting positive, planned endings and progress towards personal goals
This does not include successful completions from residential rehabilitation or inpatient settings, as these outcomes are not currently recorded within our case management system and are recorded by the individual detox or rehab settings. The true number of successful outcomes is therefore likely higher.
Alongside this, many people made meaningful steps forward while still engaged with support:
- 445 clients moved into work, training or volunteering
This figure is based on recorded Treatment Outcome Profile data and represents a minimum. In practice, the number of people supported into meaningful activity is likely higher.
These outcomes highlight recovery as more than treatment completion alone. Progress includes stability, confidence, routine and opportunity.
Groups, wellbeing and connection across Wirral
Groupwork continues to be a key part of how we support people, offering routine, connection and shared understanding alongside individual support.
Across Wirral Ways, we now run over 40 different group activities every week. These include therapeutic groups, recovery-focused sessions, wellbeing activities, creative spaces and peer-led support. This wide range of options helps people engage in ways that feel comfortable and meaningful for them.
Alongside our wider programme, key groups include:
- Women’s Health Huddle
Around 785 hours of recorded support delivered this year, creating a trauma-informed space focused on women’s health, confidence and wellbeing. - Men in Mind Group
Around 232 hours of recorded support, offering men a welcoming space to talk openly about mental health, relationships and recovery.
The way groupwork was recorded changed part way through the year, which means some attendance and informal engagement may not be fully reflected. These figures should be seen as a minimum level of activity rather than a limit on engagement.
Wellbeing, learning and health-focused support
Wellbeing and health-focused activity continues to support engagement, confidence and long-term outcomes.
- Around 490 hours of recorded acupuncture, alongside reiki and yoga, supported relaxation, emotional regulation, pain management and stress reduction
- 296 people attended COPD appointments, supporting respiratory health and improving quality of life
- 68 people attended the Discovery Academy at least once, with a further 114 people attending pre or post sessions
This reflects strong engagement with learning, reflection and personal development, including people who may not yet be ready for full programme participation but still benefit from structured support.
Signposting, mutual aid and partnership working
Support does not begin or end with Wirral Ways alone. A key part of our role is helping people connect with wider support that fits their lives.
Teams regularly signpost and actively support people to engage with mutual aid, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, SMART Recovery and other peer-led recovery communities. For many, these groups become an important source of long-term support and connection.
We also work closely with partner projects and community organisations, supporting access to housing, physical and mental health services, employment, training and community activity. This joined-up approach helps ensure support feels coordinated rather than fragmented.
Assessments, referrals and access to support
Throughout the year, we continued to support high numbers of people to access help at the right time.
- 3,602 structured referrals received
- 1,965 assessments completed
- 888 people assessed who were new to the service
Assessments are often the first step in someone feeling heard and understood. These figures reflect completed assessments but not the additional encouragement and conversations that often take place beforehand.
We will always receive more referrals than the amount of assessments we complete. This is due to a number of factors including receiving inappropriate referrals or people not being ready to engage. People being referred might not be in our catchment area, under 18, no consent for us to contact them, not want to engage and had had a referral made on their behalf.
👉 Ready to take the next step? Find out how to book an assessment or make a referral today.
Harm reduction and safer support
Harm reduction remains central to our approach, supporting people to reduce risk and protect their health.
- 1,528 naloxone kits issued
- 98.68% of people who use opiates were offered naloxone
- 85.94% have an in-date naloxone kit
Testing continued to be a strong focus:
- 97.94% of people who actively inject drugs received a Hepatitis C test (that’s only 11 people who need a test!)
Safer using support was provided through:
- 1,655 recorded needle exchange visits within our hubs, alongside ongoing advice and support
👉 Learn more about harm reduction, naloxone and safer using support.
Outreach that meets people where they are
Outreach remains a vital part of how we support people who may find traditional services harder to access.
During 2025, outreach teams:
- Discussed 142 cases at Near Fatal Overdose meetings, supporting coordinated, multi-agency responses
- Supported 279 people into treatment, including 192 opiate users
- Delivered over 450 Needle and Syringe Programme transactions at the YMCA
- Ran drop-in clinics at every hostel, five days per week
- Provided over 140 naloxone kits to partner hostel organisations
Alongside this, outreach teams delivered football sessions, rapid access appointments, early intervention work and digital inclusion support, recognising that engagement looks different for everyone.
Nursing and clinical support
Our nursing and clinical teams continue to play a vital role in supporting people’s physical health alongside recovery-focused support. This work helps identify health needs early, supports stability and ensures people can access the right care at the right time.
During 2025, this included:
- 302 nurse alcohol assessments, supporting people to understand their health and treatment options
- 368 nurse alcohol reviews, helping monitor progress and respond to changing needs
- Over 90 people supported on Buvidal, providing longer-acting treatment options
- 2,521 medical reviews, reflecting ongoing clinical oversight and continuity of care
- 178 people commenced on relapse prevention medication, supporting sustained recovery
- 87 successful community detoxes, delivered safely and with appropriate clinical support
- 157 BBV and STI tests delivered through the Sahir partnership, strengthening access to sexual health support
- 230 ECGs, supporting cardiovascular monitoring
- 788 Buvidal injections administered, contributing to stability and reduced risk
- 747 comprehensive health screening interventions, supporting early identification of health needs
- 90 flu vaccinations administered, helping protect people’s health during winter months
Together, this highlights a strong, proactive clinical offer that supports both immediate health needs and longer-term wellbeing.
Access, inclusion and service development
Throughout 2025, we focused on removing barriers and making support easier to access.
- 365 days of out-of-hours phone support, offering advice and reassurance outside standard hours
- Seven-day assessments introduced in partnership with Nightingales CIC, allowing people to access assessments at weekends as well as weekdays. This has reduced waiting times and helped people engage at moments when motivation is highest
- Four Service User Forums, ensuring lived experience continues to shape and improve the service
- Expanded late-night provision, including:
- Women-only late night on Tuesdays
- Men-only evening on Wednesdays at Price Street
- Full service late-night access on Wednesdays at Market Street
- A refurbishment of the Wallasey Hub, creating a more welcoming and accessible environment
- Visits from local councillors and the Director of Health and Social Care, strengthening understanding of our work and its impact
👉 View our opening times, hub locations and how to access support.
Outreach and re-engagement caseloads
Alongside open-access outreach work, our teams also support people through dedicated outreach and re-engagement caseloads. These caseloads focus on people who may have disengaged from services, experienced barriers to access, or need more intensive and flexible support.
Outreach caseload
During 2025, there were over 40 recorded transfers to the outreach caseload, allowing teams to provide more targeted, assertive support.
This resulted in:
- 13 people supported into hostel services, improving stability and access to ongoing support
- 4 people positively discharged alcohol-free, reflecting meaningful progress
- 4 transfers to the Alcohol Team
- 3 transfers to the Non-Opiate Team
- 4 transfers to the Birkenhead Team
- 4 transfers to the CIT
These transfers demonstrate outreach as a pathway into appropriate, longer-term support rather than a standalone intervention.
Re-engagement caseload
Our re-engagement caseload supports people who may have previously disengaged but want to reconnect with support.
In 2025:
- 38 new referrals were received into the re-engagement caseload
- 25 people were successfully re-engaged with services
- 27 cases are currently active, with ongoing support in place
This work reflects a commitment to persistence, flexibility and belief in people’s ability to reconnect when the time is right.
Supporting people with complex health needs
Our Healthcare team provides additional, specialist support for people with more complex health needs, working alongside recovery teams to ensure care is joined up, compassionate and responsive.
In 2025, over 60 people were supported by the Healthcare team, receiving tailored input that recognised the impact of long-term conditions, multiple health needs and barriers to accessing mainstream services. This work helps people feel supported as a whole person, not just through a single lens of treatment.
Community Integration and Criminal Justice support
Our Community Integration and Criminal Justice Teams play an important role in supporting people who are involved with, or at risk of involvement with, the criminal justice system. This work involves fantastic partnership working with Probation, Merseyside Police and Prison Services.
During 2025, 476 people were in contact with these teams, receiving support focused on stability, engagement and reducing barriers to accessing treatment and wider services. This work helps people stay connected to support during periods of change, transition or increased risk.
Think Family support for parents and carers
The Think Family Team provides tailored support for people who have children and young people in their lives, recognising the importance of family relationships and stability.
In 2025, 341 people were supported by the Think Family Team, receiving support that takes into account parenting responsibilities, safeguarding, family wellbeing and the wider needs of children and young people. This approach helps ensure support is joined up and responsive, supporting both individual recovery and family life.
The power of volunteering at Wirral Ways
Volunteers play a vital role in how Wirral Ways supports people across the borough. They are not an add-on to our service. They are a core part of how we deliver compassionate, recovery-focused support every day.
During 2025, 40 volunteers were engaged across Wirral Ways, with 25 active at the end of the year. Volunteers ranged in age from 20 to 82, bringing a wide range of life experience, skills and perspectives. Around 68% of volunteers brought lived experience, helping to reduce stigma, build trust and strengthen engagement.
Across the year, volunteers contributed 13,854 recorded hours of support. This provided the equivalent of around six full-time members of staff, demonstrating that volunteering at Wirral Ways is consistent, embedded and essential to service delivery.
Using the nationally recognised benchmark of £15.50 per volunteer hour, this represents a minimum social value of £214,737 in 2025 alone. This is a conservative estimate and does not include wider system benefits such as reduced pressure on statutory services or long-term recovery outcomes.
Volunteers supported people across roles including recovery and group support, outreach, health and wellbeing activity, reception, administration and digital communications, across multiple sites and remote roles.
Progression, confidence and next steps
Of the 15 volunteer placements that ended during the year:
- 7 volunteers progressed into paid employment, either within Wirral Ways or with partner organisations
Nearly one in five people within the Wirral Ways workforce is a volunteer, including volunteer counsellors. While counsellor hours are not included in the social value calculation, this means the overall contribution of volunteering is likely higher than reported here.
Partnerships, pride and wider impact
Throughout the year, Wirral Ways continued to play an active role across the borough and beyond. This included launching new partnerships, contributing to public health priorities, supporting festivals and events with harm reduction and wellbeing support, celebrating recovery through sport, creativity and pride events, and supporting people to achieve goals they once thought were out of reach.
In partnership with Wirral Foodbank, we distributed over 400 foodbank vouchers and parcels to people accessing our services.
👉 See our latest news, events and recovery celebrations across Wirral.
Looking ahead
Taken together, these figures reflect a year of connection, consistency and progress. Behind every number is a person, a relationship and a step forward.
As we move into the next year, we remain committed to harm reduction, inclusion, early intervention and person-centred support.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of Wirral Ways in 2025. We are proud of what we have achieved together and excited about what comes next.