Linden Road Surgery, Bedford: patient reviews and CQC rating
Linden Road Surgery is a GP practice in Bedford with 6,189 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 87% of its patients described their overall experience as good, above the England figure of 77% (Central East: 75%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in March 2023. It has 4.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,433 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Linden Road Surgery
Its best result against England is the share who described their last contact with the practice as good: 87%, above the England figure of 73%. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 22%, below the England figure of 54%. Of the 11 results in the table, 3 are above England and 1 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 7 within it.
On overall experience it is 2nd of the 17 practices in Bedford with 50 or more responses. 71% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 13 points higher than in 2025 (74%). 91 patients answered the survey (response rate 16%).
| Survey question | Linden Road Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 87% | 75% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 71% | 52% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 44% | 60% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 22% | 52% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 92% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 87% | 71% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 68% | 69% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 93% | 86% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 92% | 85% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 96% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 92% | 89% | 90% |
CQC's overall rating for Linden Road Surgery is Requires Improvement, published in March 2023. 3 key questions are rated differently: Caring Good, Responsive Good and Effective Good.
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Requires Improvement |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
6,189 patients were registered at Linden Road Surgery in September 2026, down 0.9% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
18% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 4.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,433 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and Central East's 2,348. The practice also has 0.9 nurses (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| August 2024 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| August 2025 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| August 2026 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 3,319 appointments a month, or 536 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 85% were face to face (England: 63%). 36% took place on the day they were booked and 1% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
57% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 4% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Linden Road Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 536 | 521 | 510 |
| Face to face | 85% | 62% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 36% | 48% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 1% | 6% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for a learning disability (1.3% against 0.6%), serious mental illness (1.9% against 1.0%) and dementia (1.2% against 0.8%). It has a lower share for depression (10.5% against 14.3%) and chronic kidney disease (3.7% against 4.6%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 25.9 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 81.3 years for women and 77.3 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 16.3% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 12.2% | 7.9% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 10.5% | 14.3% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 3.7% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 3.4% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.3% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.9% | 1.0% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 1.3% | 0.6% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 65.5% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 64.3% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 57.7% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 64.9% | 74.9% |
Linden Road Surgery, 13 Linden Road, Bedford, MK40 2DQ. Phone: 01234 273272.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Ashburnham Road Surgery | 0.8 km | 82% |
| De Parys Medical Centre | 1.4 km | 68% |
| Queens Park Health Centre | 1.5 km | 64% |
| Goldington Avenue Surgery | 1.6 km | 71% |
| London Road Surgery | 2.3 km | 76% |
- London Road Surgery (76% overall experience good)
- Putnoe Medical Centre (76% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Linden Road Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 87% of patients described their overall experience of Linden Road Surgery as good, above the England figure of 77%. 71% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Linden Road Surgery?
6,189 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.9% on a year earlier.
What is Linden Road Surgery's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in March 2023.
How many GPs does Linden Road Surgery have?
4.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (6 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,433 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Linden Road Surgery face to face?
85% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Linden Road Surgery's phone number?
01234 273272.