Goldington Avenue Surgery, Bedford: patient reviews and CQC rating
Goldington Avenue Surgery is a GP practice in Bedford with 18,074 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 71% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Central East: 75%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in January 2020. It has 8.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,023 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Goldington Avenue Surgery
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 65%, against 58% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 45%, below the England figure of 57%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 3 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 8 within it.
On overall experience it is 14th of the 17 practices in Bedford with 50 or more responses. 45% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 3 points higher than in 2025 (68%). 125 patients answered the survey (response rate 34%).
| Survey question | Goldington Avenue Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 71% | 75% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 45% | 52% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 65% | 60% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 46% | 52% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 84% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 63% | 71% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 64% | 69% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 86% | 86% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 82% | 85% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 86% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 89% | 89% | 90% |
CQC's overall rating for Goldington Avenue Surgery is Good, published in January 2020. All 5 key questions are rated Good. It held the same rating in the report before (June 2015).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
18,074 patients were registered at Goldington Avenue Surgery in September 2026, down 0.5% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
18% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 8.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,023 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and Central East's 2,348. The practice also has 5.5 nurses and 5.0 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 6.5 | 10.4 |
| August 2024 | 6.5 | 9.3 |
| August 2025 | 5.8 | 8.8 |
| August 2026 | 8.9 | 12.8 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 12,345 appointments a month, or 683 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 41% were face to face (England: 63%). 60% took place on the day they were booked and 7% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
39% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Goldington Avenue Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 683 | 521 | 510 |
| Face to face | 41% | 62% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 60% | 48% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 7% | 6% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for palliative or supportive care needs (0.9% against 0.6%), dementia (1.1% against 0.8%) and serious mental illness (1.3% against 1.0%). It has a lower share for COPD (1.4% against 1.9%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 19.0 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 82.3 years for women and 78.0 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 16.0% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 15.0% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 7.8% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 5.5% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.0% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.9% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.6% | 1.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.4% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.3% | 1.0% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 76.1% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 74.8% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 72.0% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 77.1% | 74.9% |
Goldington Avenue Surgery, 85 Goldington Avenue, Bedford, MK40 3DB. Phone: 01234 349531. Website: www.goldingtonavenuesurgery.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| De Parys Medical Centre | 0.3 km | 68% |
| Putnoe Medical Centre | 1.3 km | 76% |
| Linden Road Surgery | 1.6 km | 87% |
| Ashburnham Road Surgery | 1.7 km | 82% |
| London Road Surgery | 1.9 km | 76% |
- Cobbs Garden Surgery (89% overall experience good)
- Great Barford Surgery (75% overall experience good)
- Harrold Medical Practice (84% overall experience good)
- Priory Medical Practice (82% overall experience good)
- Sharnbrook Surgery (83% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Goldington Avenue Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 71% of patients described their overall experience of Goldington Avenue Surgery as good, against 77% across England. 45% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Goldington Avenue Surgery?
18,074 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.5% on a year earlier.
What is Goldington Avenue Surgery's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in January 2020.
How many GPs does Goldington Avenue Surgery have?
8.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (12 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,023 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Goldington Avenue Surgery face to face?
41% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Goldington Avenue Surgery's phone number?
01234 349531.