Fernley Medical Centre, Birmingham: patient reviews and CQC rating
Fernley Medical Centre is a GP practice in Birmingham with 8,363 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 81% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Birmingham and Solihull: 73%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in December 2023. It has 4.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,808 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Fernley Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 65%, against 57% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 49%, against 58% across England. With 81 responses, none of its 11 results differs from England by more than the survey's margin of error.
On overall experience it is 53rd of the 171 practices in Birmingham with 50 or more responses. 65% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 8 points higher than in 2025 (73%). 81 patients answered the survey (response rate 10%).
| Survey question | Fernley Medical Centre | Birmingham and Solihull | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 81% | 73% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 65% | 51% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 49% | 51% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 57% | 51% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 87% | 81% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 78% | 68% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 71% | 68% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 85% | 84% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 80% | 84% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 87% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 87% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 72% of 78 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Fernley Medical Centre is Good, published in December 2023. One key question is rated differently: Responsive Requires Improvement. It held the same rating in the report before (June 2016).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
8,363 patients were registered at Fernley Medical Centre in September 2026, down 2.0% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
10% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 4.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,808 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and Birmingham and Solihull's 1,990. The practice also has 0.9 nurses and 3.6 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 1.3 | 2.4 |
| August 2024 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| August 2025 | 4.4 | 6.4 |
| August 2026 | 4.6 | 7.4 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 7,766 appointments a month, or 929 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 52% were face to face (England: 63%). 62% took place on the day they were booked and 1% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
76% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 5% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Fernley Medical Centre | Birmingham and Solihull | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 929 | 532 | 510 |
| Face to face | 52% | 62% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 62% | 50% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 1% | 3% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 5% | 6% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for diabetes (14.7% against 7.9%) and a learning disability (1.0% against 0.6%). It has a lower share for COPD (0.8% against 1.9%), atrial fibrillation (1.0% against 2.2%) and cancer (1.9% against 3.8%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 49.0 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 81.9 years for women and 76.3 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 14.7% | 7.9% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 14.4% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 12.2% | 14.3% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.3% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 4.9% | 4.6% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Cancer | All ages | 1.9% | 3.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.3% | 1.0% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.0% | 2.2% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 54.6% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 38.7% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 53.7% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 74.8% | 74.9% |
Fernley Medical Centre, 560 Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, B11 4AN. Phone: 0121 411 0347. Website: www.fernleymedicalcentre.nhs.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Greet Medical Practice | 0.5 km | 61% |
| LPS - Weatheroak Medical Practice | 0.6 km | 71% |
| Springfield Medical Practice | 0.8 km | 60% |
| Springfield Surgery | 0.9 km | 74% |
| Oakwood Surgery | 0.9 km | 70% |
- Balsall Heath Health Centre (79% overall experience good)
- Dr Walji and Colleagues (85% overall experience good)
- FirstCare Practice (58% overall experience good)
- Highgate Medical Centre (87% overall experience good)
- Oakwood Surgery (70% overall experience good)
- Springfield Medical Practice (60% overall experience good)
- The Brook Surgery (79% overall experience good)
- The Hill GP Practice (83% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Fernley Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 81% of patients described their overall experience of Fernley Medical Centre as good, against 77% across England. 65% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Fernley Medical Centre?
8,363 patients were registered in September 2026, down 2.0% on a year earlier.
What is Fernley Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in December 2023.
How many GPs does Fernley Medical Centre have?
4.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (9 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,808 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Fernley Medical Centre face to face?
52% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Fernley Medical Centre's phone number?
0121 411 0347.