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Aylesford Medical Centre vs Blackthorn
Two GP practices in the same primary care network, a short way apart. Side by side, with the margin of error on every figure.
Can the survey tell them apart?
Blackthorn’s Practice Grade is clearly higher than Aylesford Medical Centre’s: its likely range lies wholly above.
Side by side
| Measure | Aylesford Medical CentreME20 7SE | BlackthornME16 9AL |
|---|---|---|
| Practice Grade (the 2026 GP Patient Survey and NHS appointment and phone data) | ||
| Practice Grade | 61.4likely range 56.2 to 66.0119 survey answers | 78.9likely range 73.5 to 83.1111 survey answersClearly higher |
| Label (against the England average) | No label | Cannot be told apart from the England average |
| Patients who describe the practice as good | 49.7%likely range 43.2% to 56.2%, 119 answers | 82.5%likely range 75.7% to 87.8%, 111 answersClearly higher |
| Access (mean of the two below) | 88.5%likely range 80.1% to 90.1%Clearly higher | 70.3%likely range 62.0% to 76.7% |
| Appointments within two weeks of booking | 98.0%likely range 89.6% to 99.6%, 783 appointmentsClearly higher | 79.8%likely range 71.5% to 86.2%, 1,721 appointments |
| Calls answered by the practice | Not in the grade: no phone data | Not in the grade: no phone data |
| More survey questions (not part of the grade) | ||
| Getting through on the phone | 46.0%likely range 39.4% to 52.7%, 113 answers | 59.5%likely range 51.4% to 67.1%, 108 answers |
| Reception and admin team | 74.5%likely range 68.2% to 79.9%, 113 answers | 94.8%likely range 90.1% to 97.4%, 111 answers |
| Having a preferred professional | 18.9%likely range 14.2% to 24.6%, 117 answers | 31.3%likely range 24.4% to 39.0%, 112 answers |
| Seeing your preferred professional | Not shown: fewer than 30 answers | 53.4%likely range 38.2% to 67.9%, 31 answers |
| Knowing the next step | 85.3%likely range 79.8% to 89.4%, 112 answers | 84.3%likely range 77.5% to 89.3%, 107 answers |
| Contacting the practice | 59.4%likely range 52.8% to 65.8%, 115 answers | 78.9%likely range 71.6% to 84.7%, 109 answers |
| Wait for an appointment | 54.1%likely range 47.1% to 61.0%, 104 answers | 57.4%likely range 49.0% to 65.4%, 100 answers |
| Being listened to | 71.8%likely range 65.3% to 77.5%, 112 answers | 88.6%likely range 82.5% to 92.8%, 108 answers |
| Care and concern | 73.0%likely range 66.6% to 78.5%, 115 answers | 85.3%likely range 78.7% to 90.1%, 108 answers |
| Confidence and trust | 82.0%likely range 76.3% to 86.6%, 114 answers | 90.0%likely range 84.1% to 93.8%, 109 answers |
| Involvement in decisions | 79.3%likely range 73.0% to 84.4%, 103 answers | 85.3%likely range 78.4% to 90.2%, 102 answers |
| Needs met | 73.8%likely range 67.5% to 79.3%, 113 answers | 90.4%likely range 84.6% to 94.2%, 108 answers |
| Vaccinations and screening (NHS England QOF, not part of the grade) | ||
| Babies at 8 months | 91.9%likely range 83.4% to 96.2%, 74 patients | 84.5%likely range 76.0% to 90.4%, 97 patients |
| Children at 18 months | 93.0%likely range 84.6% to 97.0%, 71 patients | 91.0%likely range 82.6% to 95.6%, 78 patients |
| Children at 5 years | 85.7%likely range 75.7% to 92.1%, 70 patients | 88.2%likely range 80.0% to 93.3%, 93 patients |
| Women aged 25 to 49 | 78.5%likely range 76.0% to 80.8%, 1,117 patients | 67.8%likely range 65.3% to 70.1%, 1,474 patients |
| Women aged 50 to 64 | 84.4%likely range 81.5% to 87.0%, 674 patients | 77.9%likely range 75.0% to 80.7%, 807 patients |
| Facts (NHS England, not part of the grade) | ||
| Registered patients | 7,533August 2026 | 9,017August 2026 |
| Primary care network | Abc PCN | Abc PCN |
| Phone | 01622 885880 | 01622 726277 |
| Friends and Family Test (its own feedback) | No results for June 2026 | 90.9% good or very good99 answers, June 2026 |
| Appointments (one month) | 2,588 in August 2026Same day 24.6%; face to face 78.5% | 4,798 in August 2026Same day 49.3%; face to face 48.0% |
| Antibiotic items per STAR-PU (one year) | 0.74England 0.74, April 2025 to March 2026 | 0.61England 0.74, April 2025 to March 2026 |
| GPs (full-time equivalent) | 1.6 qualified permanent3.4 including trainees and locums4,593 patients per permanent GP | 2.3 qualified permanent3.3 including trainees and locums3,988 patients per permanent GP |
| CQC rating (a separate source) | Good | Good |
“Clearly higher” appears only when a practice’s likely range lies wholly above every other practice’s here. When the ranges overlap, the survey cannot tell the practices apart and nobody is pointed out. A practice never gets a mark for being lower.
The Practice Grade weighs the survey and access, from NHS appointment and phone data; the other survey questions are from the 2026 GP Patient Survey. The facts are from NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and OHID, are not part of the grade, and are shown as each practice’s own record. NHS England advises against ranking practices on the Friends and Family Test or on appointment figures, and we point nothing out in the facts, vaccination or screening rows.
The full pages
Sources
- 2026 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 information from the Care Quality Commission, licensed under the Open Government Licence. CQC must be acknowledged as the source of the data; CQC is not responsible for our analysis.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Antibiotic prescribing: UK Health Security Agency and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (Fingertips), from NHS Business Services Authority prescribing data.