Local authority area
GP practices in County Durham
61 open practices in this local authority area, 61 with enough survey answers to be graded.
County Durham as a whole
England 77.2 · likely range 80.3 to 82.4
The area’s Practice Grade is the average over its 61 graded practices. On average they are 4.4 points above the England average (likely range: 3.1 to 5.2 points above). The Practice Grade weighs patient experience, the share of patients who describe their practice as good (70%), and access (30%): the share of appointments within two weeks of booking and the share of calls the practice answers, from NHS England’s latest monthly data.
Clearly above the England average
This compares patients’ answers in the area as a whole with England’s, every graded practice counting equally, as each practice’s label compares its patients’ answers. Access moves the figure above, not this. It says nothing about any single practice: see each practice’s own page.
Highest-graded GP practices in County Durham
Top-rated in County Durham 2026: Gainford Surgery. 10 practices in County Durham are in the top 10% in England. How the awards work.
By Practice Grade, highest first, among the 57 practices in County Durham with a label. Each grade has a margin of error, and neighbouring grades often overlap, so nearby places can be close calls.
| Place | Practice | Survey answers | Practice Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gainford SurgeryTop-rated in County Durham 2026 | 105 | 95.393.5 to 96.5 |
| 2 | Southdene Medical CentreTop 10% in England 2026 | 95 | 94.492.1 to 95.8 |
| 3 | Annfield Plain SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 110 | 93.391.1 to 94.8 |
| 4 | Silverdale Family PracticeTop 10% in England 2026 | 89 | 93.088.4 to 94.9 |
| 4 | The Horden Group PracticeTop 10% in England 2026 | 91 | 93.086.8 to 95.2 |
| 6 | Murton Medical CentreTop 10% in England 2026 | 86 | 92.385.4 to 95.4 |
| 7 | Great Lumley SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 104 | 91.687.7 to 93.9 |
| 8 | Woodview Medical PracticeTop 10% in England 2026 | 104 | 90.587.8 to 92.2 |
| 9 | Queens Road SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 114 | 90.079.3 to 92.9 |
| 10 | Old Forge SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 92 | 89.787.1 to 91.6 |
The line under each grade is its likely range. The Practice Grade weighs patient experience, the share of patients who describe their practice as good (70%), and access (30%): the share of appointments within two weeks of booking and the share of calls the practice answers, from NHS England’s latest monthly data. The label compares patients’ answers with England’s; access moves the grade, never the label.
Practices with exactly the same Practice Grade share a place, listed A to Z.
Only practices with a label are placed. Practices without one are in the full list below, with their figures.
All GP practices in County Durham, A to Z
In alphabetical order. The list is not a ranking. Each Practice Grade is shown with its likely range; a label appears only when the margin of error supports it.
| Practice | Practice Grade | Survey answers | Response rate | Access | Trend 2024–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annfield Plain SurgeryClearly above the England average | 93.3 | 110 | 31.5% | 89.3% | |
Auckland Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 87.5 | 109 | 28.4% | 87.0% | |
Barnard Castle SurgeryCannot be told apart from the England average | 80.7 | 124 | 46.1% | 72.5% | |
Belmont & Sherburn Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 75.6 | 87 | 25.7% | 61.9% | |
Bevan Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 82.6 | 71 | 18.5% | 82.3% | |
Bewick Crescent SurgeryCannot be told apart from the England average | 80.1 | 114 | 33.2% | 78.7% | |
Bishopgate Medical CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 87.3 | 108 | 25.2% | 79.7% | |
Bishops Close Medical PracticeCannot be told apart from the England average | 82.6 | 116 | 31.4% | 84.6% | |
Blackhall and Peterlee PracticeCannot be told apart from the England average | 73.3 | 100 | 24.6% | 82.8% | |
Bowburn Medical CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 76.7 | 112 | 21.5% | 70.8% | |
Bridge End SurgeryCannot be told apart from the England average | 78.4 | 100 | 29.7% | 79.4% | |
Browney House SurgeryCannot be told apart from the England average | 79.2 | 100 | 28.6% | 80.7% | |
Byron Medical PracticeCannot be told apart from the England average | 80.5 | 114 | 26.0% | 79.3% | |
Cedars Medical GroupClearly above the England average | 87.6 | 145 | 35.2% | 76.8% | |
Cestria Health CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 73.0 | 91 | 30.2% | 84.0% | |
Chastleton Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 84.0 | 104 | 36.0% | 84.6% | |
Cheveley Park Medical CtrClearly above the England average | 87.1 | 94 | 33.9% | 78.0% | |
Claypath & University Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 75.4 | 176 | 17.7% | 78.9% | |
Consett Medical CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 77.8 | 89 | 21.6% | 75.4% | |
Coxhoe Medical PracticeCannot be told apart from the England average | 81.6 | 99 | 28.1% | 84.7% | |
Drs Lambert & NgClearly above the England average | 87.2 | 98 | 27.7% | 71.0% | |
Dunelm Medical PracticeCannot be told apart from the England average | 77.9 | 132 | 27.8% | 87.2% | |
East Durham Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 80.3 | 88 | 22.3% | 73.9% | |
Evenwood Medical PracticeClearly above the England average | 86.3 | 103 | 29.8% | 69.9% | |
65.1 | 105 | 26.1% | 83.4% | ||
Gainford SurgeryClearly above the England average | 95.3 | 105 | 38.8% | 84.3% | |
Great Lumley SurgeryClearly above the England average | 91.6 | 104 | 32.5% | 89.1% | |
Hallgarth SurgeryCannot be told apart from the England average | 78.4 | 106 | 24.9% | 83.6% | |
Jubilee Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 72.1 | 89 | 20.8% | 51.9% | |
65.7 | 103 | 33.0% | 86.4% | ||
70.8 | 115 | 29.6% | 78.2% | ||
Marlborough SurgeryCannot be told apart from the England average | 85.7 | 135 | 29.3% | 85.5% | |
Middle Chare Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 78.8 | 93 | 28.3% | 77.8% | |
Murton Medical CentreClearly above the England average | 92.3 | 86 | 23.7% | 91.1% | |
North House SurgeryCannot be told apart from the England average | 73.9 | 102 | 29.6% | 72.1% | |
Oakfields Health GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 83.2 | 115 | 34.6% | 84.5% | |
Old Forge SurgeryClearly above the England average | 89.7 | 92 | 35.0% | 89.5% | |
Pease Way Medical CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 67.8 | 89 | 23.3% | 74.7% | |
Pelton & Fellrose Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 76.4 | 92 | 24.9% | 85.4% | |
Pinfold Medical PracticeClearly above the England average | 86.5 | 98 | 33.0% | 75.3% | |
Queens Road SurgeryClearly above the England average | 90.0 | 114 | 37.0% | 78.8% | |
Sacriston Medical CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 77.1 | 108 | 22.9% | 81.7% | |
Silverdale Family PracticeClearly above the England average | 93.0 | 89 | 23.8% | 85.1% | |
Skerne Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 71.4 | 109 | 33.6% | 71.7% | |
Southdene Medical CentreClearly above the England average | 94.4 | 95 | 23.5% | 92.2% | |
St Andrew's Medical PracticeCannot be told apart from the England average | 80.1 | 124 | 32.0% | 73.6% | |
Stanley Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 83.8 | 97 | 27.8% | 74.2% | |
Station View Medical CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 81.6 | 125 | 35.1% | 77.6% | |
Tanfield View Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 82.0 | 114 | 31.4% | 73.8% | |
The Haven SurgeryClearly above the England average | 88.1 | 92 | 25.1% | 74.1% | |
The Horden Group PracticeClearly above the England average | 93.0 | 91 | 24.4% | 86.4% | |
The Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 84.5 | 96 | 29.6% | 82.1% | |
The New Seaham Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 77.2 | 95 | 22.4% | 76.2% | |
The Weardale PracticeCannot be told apart from the England average | 82.5 | 98 | 37.1% | 77.7% | |
Villages Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 82.9 | 71 | 22.2% | 82.1% | |
74.6 | 116 | 25.1% | 80.0% | ||
West Rainton SurgeryClearly above the England average | 82.7 | 101 | 30.1% | 68.0% | |
William Brown CentreCannot be told apart from the England average | 74.4 | 103 | 23.7% | 81.2% | |
Willington Medical GroupCannot be told apart from the England average | 84.7 | 113 | 29.7% | 79.4% | |
Wingate Medical Practice IntrahealthClearly above the England average | 81.4 | 104 | 25.3% | 60.7% | |
Woodview Medical PracticeClearly above the England average | 90.5 | 104 | 36.8% | 79.6% |
The trend column shows overall experience (the share of patients who describe the practice as good), 2024–2026, from the GP Patient Survey (question 32). It is the survey part of the Practice Grade, not the grade itself. Practices with fewer than 3 yearly results are shown without a curve.
County Durham on the map
- Clearly above the England average
- Graded
- Not graded
Each practice is placed at the centre of its postcode, not at its building, so practices that share a postcode share a point. Click a point to see every practice there.
Choosing and changing a practice
Help me choose in County Durham · All areas · Fact box for journalists
About County Durham
Background
Background on County Durham as context for the practices above. Not part of the Practice Grade.
- Residents
- 538,011
- Aged 65 and over
- 21.9%
- Aged 80 and over
- 5.5%
Deprivation, income and life expectancy
| Measure | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|
| Deprivation score (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025)2025 | 28.8 | 21.8 |
| Children under 16 in relative low income families2024/25, likely range 25.6 to 26.4 | 26.0% | 19.8% |
| Life expectancy at birth, men2022 to 2024, likely range 77.5 to 78.1 | 77.8 years | 79.5 years |
| Life expectancy at birth, women2022 to 2024, likely range 81.0 to 81.6 | 81.3 years | 83.3 years |
Source: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Fingertips: residents and ages 2024 (Office for National Statistics), deprivation 2025 (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), children in low income families 2024/25 (Department for Work and Pensions), life expectancy 2022 to 2024 (Office for National Statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Older people in County Durham
Background
Background on people aged 65 and over in County Durham, with England beside it. No figure here says an area is doing better or worse. Not part of the Practice Grade.
Hospital care and dementia
| Measure | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency hospital admissions for falls, per 100,000 people aged 65 and over2024/25, age-standardised, likely range 1,356 to 1,496 | 1,425 | 1,958 |
| Hip fractures, per 100,000 people aged 65 and over2024/25, age-standardised, likely range 466 to 550 | 506 | 536 |
| Estimated dementia diagnosis rate, people aged 65 and over2026, as at 31 March, likely range 64.0 to 77.8 | 71.5% | 66.3% |
The hospital figures are age-standardised, so an older population does not raise them. Since 2022/23 some hospital trusts report same-day emergency care in another dataset, which can lower the admissions counted.
The dementia rate is the number of people with a recorded diagnosis out of the number estimated to have dementia. It is counted by where the practice is, not where patients live.
Care homes
| Measure | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|
| Care home beds per 100 people aged 75 and over2025 | 9.5 | 8.3 |
Beds are counted where the home is, not where its residents come from, and people under 75 also live in care homes.
Life expectancy at 65
| Measure | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at 65, men2022 to 2024, likely range 17.8 to 18.2 | 18.0 years | 18.9 years |
| Life expectancy at 65, women2022 to 2024, likely range 20.0 to 20.4 | 20.2 years | 21.4 years |
Source: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Fingertips: hospital admissions 2024/25 (NHS England), dementia diagnosis 2026 (as at 31 March) (NHS England), care home beds 2025 (Care Quality Commission), life expectancy 2022 to 2024 (Office for National Statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Talking therapies for the NHS area covering County Durham, August 2026
About 475 people finished a course of NHS Talking Therapies in the NHS area that covers County Durham in August 2026. Of them, 97% started treatment within 6 weeks of referral and 100% within 18 weeks. The national standards are 75% and 95%.
County Durham is covered by NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB (sub-ICB 84H).
England: 83.4% started within 6 weeks and 97.5% within 18 weeks (51,269 people finished a course in August 2026).
These figures are for the NHS area that commissions the service, not for County Durham and not for any GP practice. Most people refer themselves, so they say nothing about the quality of a practice.
Only people who finished a course in the month are counted, so people still waiting are not. Counts are rounded to the nearest 5, rates to the nearest whole per cent, and NHS England hides numbers under 5. One month can move by several points.
Source: NHS England Digital, NHS Talking Therapies Monthly Statistics (August 2026, published 8 October 2026), Open Government Licence. Areas are matched to NHS areas with the Office for National Statistics lookup from neighbourhoods to sub-ICBs and local authorities (April 2026).
Flu vaccination in County Durham, winter 2025 to 2026
76.6% of patients aged 65 and over registered with GP practices in County Durham had a flu vaccine between 1 September 2025 and 28 February 2026 (96,070 of 125,376). England: 74.5%.
| Who | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 and over96,070 of 125,376 | 76.6% | 74.5% |
| Under 65 in a clinical risk group42,735 of 98,494 | 43.4% | 40.6% |
| Pregnant women2,123 of 5,520 | 38.5% | 38.4% |
| Children aged 22,199 of 4,710 | 46.7% | 43.5% |
| Children aged 32,392 of 4,921 | 48.6% | 44.8% |
The counts follow the GP practice, not where people live. They include vaccinations given in GP practices, pharmacies and other places that are recorded in the GP record. 99.3% of practices sent data. UKHSA says the number counted as pregnant may be too high, so uptake among pregnant women is probably understated.
This card shows flu only. We have not found local authority figures for last winter’s COVID-19 vaccination from UKHSA.
Source: UK Health Security Agency, Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in GP patients: winter season 2025 to 2026 (final data, published 28 May 2026). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Data updated
The month each source’s data runs to, and when its publisher released it.
- GP Patient Survey: (published 9 July 2026)
- Appointments in General Practice: (published 24 September 2026)
- Cloud Based Telephony Data in General Practice:
- GP Patient Survey, earlier years (2024 and 2025): (published July 2025)
- Seasonal flu vaccine uptake in GP patients, by local authority: (published 28 May 2026)
- Area background figures: population, deprivation, life expectancy, older people (Fingertips): (published May 2026)
- NHS Talking Therapies monthly statistics: (published 8 October 2026)
- NHS organisation data (ODS):
- Postcode locations and local authority areas:
Sources
- 2026 GP Patient Survey: https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/
- 2024 GP Patient Survey: https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/
- 2025 GP Patient Survey: https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/
- Contains information from NHS England, licenced under the current version of the Open Government Licence
- Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026
- Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026
- Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Area figures: Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (Fingertips), from Office for National Statistics, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, NHS England and Care Quality Commission data.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Flu vaccine uptake: UK Health Security Agency, Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake in GP patients (final data, winter season 2025 to 2026). Contains Office for National Statistics data (local authority lookup) licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains information from NHS England, licenced under the current version of the Open Government Licence. NHS Talking Therapies monthly statistics. Contains Office for National Statistics data (LSOA to sub-ICB to ICB to local authority lookup) licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.