Maidstone · Compare
Blackthorn vs The College Practice
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 and The College Practice cannot be told apart on the Practice Grade. The likely ranges overlap, so the data does not show that one is ahead of the other, whatever the two numbers are.
Side by side
| Measure | BlackthornME16 9AL | The College PracticeME15 6SB |
|---|---|---|
| Practice Grade (the 2026 GP Patient Survey and NHS appointment and phone data) | ||
| Practice Grade | 78.9likely range 73.5 to 83.1111 survey answers | 62.9likely range 35.3 to 84.296 survey answers |
| Label (against the England average) | Cannot be told apart from the England average | Cannot be told apart from the England average |
| Patients who describe the practice as good | 82.5%likely range 75.7% to 87.8%, 111 answers | 59.1%likely range 19.7% to 89.5%, 96 answers |
| Access (mean of the two below) | 70.3%likely range 62.0% to 76.7% | 71.6%likely range 66.8% to 75.7% |
| Appointments within two weeks of booking | 79.8%likely range 71.5% to 86.2%, 1,721 appointments | 81.1%likely range 76.3% to 85.2%, 4,608 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 | 59.5%likely range 51.4% to 67.1%, 108 answers | 26.8%likely range 4.7% to 73.0%, 87 answers |
| Reception and admin team | 94.8%likely range 90.1% to 97.4%, 111 answers | 72.7%likely range 26.8% to 95.1%, 88 answers |
| Having a preferred professional | 31.3%likely range 24.4% to 39.0%, 112 answers | 10.7%likely range 1.0% to 59.5%, 95 answers |
| Seeing your preferred professional | 53.4%likely range 38.2% to 67.9%, 31 answers | Not published: fewer than 10 answers |
| Knowing the next step | 84.3%likely range 77.5% to 89.3%, 107 answers | 76.7%likely range 29.1% to 96.3%, 86 answers |
| Contacting the practice | 78.9%likely range 71.6% to 84.7%, 109 answers | 52.8%likely range 15.7% to 87.0%, 91 answers |
| Wait for an appointment | 57.4%likely range 49.0% to 65.4%, 100 answers | 47.1%likely range 12.1% to 85.2%, 82 answers |
| Being listened to | 88.6%likely range 82.5% to 92.8%, 108 answers | 67.3%likely range 23.3% to 93.3%, 87 answers |
| Care and concern | 85.3%likely range 78.7% to 90.1%, 108 answers | 72.2%likely range 26.4% to 95.0%, 87 answers |
| Confidence and trust | 90.0%likely range 84.1% to 93.8%, 109 answers | 78.0%likely range 30.0% to 96.7%, 86 answers |
| Involvement in decisions | 85.3%likely range 78.4% to 90.2%, 102 answers | 76.2%likely range 28.0% to 96.3%, 82 answers |
| Needs met | 90.4%likely range 84.6% to 94.2%, 108 answers | 74.3%likely range 27.7% to 95.6%, 87 answers |
| Vaccinations and screening (NHS England QOF, not part of the grade) | ||
| Babies at 8 months | 84.5%likely range 76.0% to 90.4%, 97 patients | 92.4%likely range 89.3% to 94.7%, 383 patients |
| Children at 18 months | 91.0%likely range 82.6% to 95.6%, 78 patients | 84.8%likely range 80.8% to 88.1%, 375 patients |
| Children at 5 years | 88.2%likely range 80.0% to 93.3%, 93 patients | 79.9%likely range 75.5% to 83.6%, 373 patients |
| Women aged 25 to 49 | 67.8%likely range 65.3% to 70.1%, 1,474 patients | 67.1%likely range 66.0% to 68.2%, 6,681 patients |
| Women aged 50 to 64 | 77.9%likely range 75.0% to 80.7%, 807 patients | 69.0%likely range 67.1% to 70.8%, 2,330 patients |
| Facts (NHS England, not part of the grade) | ||
| Registered patients | 9,017August 2026 | 33,290August 2026 |
| Primary care network | Abc PCN | Abc PCN |
| Phone | 01622 726277 | 01622 752345 |
| Friends and Family Test (its own feedback) | 90.9% good or very good99 answers, June 2026 | 91.9% good or very good99 answers, June 2026 |
| Appointments (one month) | 4,798 in August 2026Same day 49.3%; face to face 48.0% | 11,718 in August 2026Same day 34.3%; face to face 55.8% |
| Antibiotic items per STAR-PU (one year) | 0.61England 0.74, April 2025 to March 2026 | 0.52England 0.74, April 2025 to March 2026 |
| GPs (full-time equivalent) | 2.3 qualified permanent3.3 including trainees and locums3,988 patients per permanent GP | 2.2 qualified permanent5.3 including trainees and locums14,914 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.