Best GP practices in County Durham 2026
61 GP practices in County Durham (North East and Yorkshire), ranked by the Practice Grade. The grade weighs what patients say in the 2026 GP Patient Survey and how soon appointments take place. Practices with too few answers have no grade.
Gainford Surgery has the highest Practice Grade in County Durham, 95.3 out of 100. County Durham as a whole: 81.6, 4.4 points above the England average.
Updated with GP Patient Survey (2026 survey) and Appointments in General Practice (August 2026)
Compare the four best in County Durham
GP practices in County Durham
| Practice | Practice Grade | Response rate | Survey answers | Trend 2024–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Gainford SurgeryTop-rated in County Durham 2026Top 10% in England 2026 | 95.3 | 38.8% | 105 | |
2Southdene Medical CentreTop 10% in England 2026 | 94.4 | 23.5% | 95 | |
3Annfield Plain SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 93.3 | 31.5% | 110 | |
4Silverdale Family PracticeTop 10% in England 2026 | 93.0 | 23.8% | 89 | |
4The Horden Group PracticeTop 10% in England 2026 | 93.0 | 24.4% | 91 | |
6Murton Medical CentreTop 10% in England 2026 | 92.3 | 23.7% | 86 | |
7Great Lumley SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 91.6 | 32.5% | 104 | |
8Woodview Medical PracticeTop 10% in England 2026 | 90.5 | 36.8% | 104 | |
9Queens Road SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 90.0 | 37.0% | 114 | |
10Old Forge SurgeryTop 10% in England 2026 | 89.7 | 35.0% | 92 | |
88.1 | 25.1% | 92 | ||
87.6 | 35.2% | 145 | ||
87.5 | 28.4% | 109 | ||
87.3 | 25.2% | 108 | ||
87.2 | 27.7% | 98 | ||
87.1 | 33.9% | 94 | ||
86.5 | 33.0% | 98 | ||
86.3 | 29.8% | 103 | ||
85.7 | 29.3% | 135 | ||
84.7 | 29.7% | 113 | ||
84.5 | 29.6% | 96 | ||
84.0 | 36.0% | 104 | ||
83.8 | 27.8% | 97 | ||
83.2 | 34.6% | 115 | ||
82.9 | 22.2% | 71 | ||
82.7 | 30.1% | 101 | ||
82.6 | 18.5% | 71 | ||
82.6 | 31.4% | 116 | ||
82.5 | 37.1% | 98 | ||
82.0 | 31.4% | 114 | ||
81.6 | 28.1% | 99 | ||
81.6 | 35.1% | 125 | ||
81.4 | 25.3% | 104 | ||
80.7 | 46.1% | 124 | ||
80.5 | 26.0% | 114 | ||
80.3 | 22.3% | 88 | ||
80.1 | 33.2% | 114 | ||
80.1 | 32.0% | 124 | ||
79.2 | 28.6% | 100 | ||
78.8 | 28.3% | 93 | ||
78.4 | 29.7% | 100 | ||
78.4 | 24.9% | 106 | ||
77.9 | 27.8% | 132 | ||
77.8 | 21.6% | 89 | ||
77.2 | 22.4% | 95 | ||
77.1 | 22.9% | 108 | ||
76.7 | 21.5% | 112 | ||
76.4 | 24.9% | 92 | ||
75.6 | 25.7% | 87 | ||
75.4 | 17.7% | 176 | ||
74.4 | 23.7% | 103 | ||
73.9 | 29.6% | 102 | ||
73.3 | 24.6% | 100 | ||
73.0 | 30.2% | 91 | ||
72.1 | 20.8% | 89 | ||
71.4 | 33.6% | 109 | ||
67.8 | 23.3% | 89 | ||
65.1 | 26.1% | 105 | ||
65.7 | 33.0% | 103 | ||
70.8 | 29.6% | 115 | ||
74.6 | 25.1% | 116 |
Practices with exactly the same grade share a place and are listed A to Z. Practices next to each other are often so close that another year could swap them.
The Practice Grade is on a scale of 0 to 100. The response rate and the number of survey answers show how large the base is: more answers give a surer grade. 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.
The practices without a place follow the ranked ones, A to Z, with their figures: those with too few survey answers, those that serve one group of patients, and those the grade cannot place clearly.
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.
Appointments within two weeks in County Durham, August 2026
85.1% of the 193,137 appointments at 61 practices in County Durham took place within two weeks of booking. England: 87.7%.
Source: NHS England, Appointments in General Practice. This is the appointments half of the grade’s access part.
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).
- 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.
Within reach of County Durham
17 GP practices within 10 km, the nearest 8 shown.
- The Medical Group
- Dunelm Medical Practice
- Claypath & University Medical Group
- Chastleton Medical Group
- Bowburn Medical Centre
- Belmont & Sherburn Medical Group
- Browney House Surgery
- Cheveley Park Medical Ctr
Distance as the crow flies from the middle of the practices in County Durham. A practice in another area may still cover your address: check its boundary before you register.
Common questions
- Which GP practice in County Durham has the highest grade?
- Gainford Surgery has the highest Practice Grade in County Durham, 95.3 out of 100. Practices next to each other in the list are often so close that another year's answers could swap them. How the grade works
- How many GP practices are there in County Durham?
- 61 open GP practices that you can register with, 57 of them with a Practice Grade.
- How soon do practices in County Durham see patients?
- In the latest month 85.1% of appointments at practices in County Durham took place within two weeks of booking, against 87.7% in England.
- How do I change GP practice in County Durham?
- It is free, and you do not have to tell your current practice. Most practices let you register online or in the NHS App. Guide: changing GP practice
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.
Other areas in North East and North Cumbria
See also
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.
All sources and licences