Tonge Fold Health Centre, Bolton: patient reviews and CQC rating
Tonge Fold Health Centre is a GP practice in Bolton with 6,959 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 88% of its patients described their overall experience as good, above the England figure of 77% (Greater Manchester: 79%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in April 2019. It has 1.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 3,728 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Tonge Fold Health Centre
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 83%, above the England figure of 57%. Its weakest is the share who said the healthcare professional was good at listening to them: 82%, against 87% across England. Of the 11 results in the table, 4 are above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 7 within it.
On overall experience it is 8th of the 48 practices in Bolton with 50 or more responses. 83% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 2 points lower than in 2025 (90%). 97 patients answered the survey (response rate 26%).
| Survey question | Tonge Fold Health Centre | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 88% | 79% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 83% | 63% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 60% | 61% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 66% | 58% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 92% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 85% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 76% | 71% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 82% | 88% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 83% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 94% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 94% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 93% of 103 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Tonge Fold Health Centre is Good, published in April 2019. All 5 key questions are rated Good. It held the same rating in the report before (December 2016).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
6,959 patients were registered at Tonge Fold Health Centre in September 2026, down 0.5% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
22% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 1.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 3,728 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Greater Manchester's 2,055. The practice also has 0.8 nurses and 1.0 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| August 2024 | 3.9 | 5.8 |
| August 2025 | 3.9 | 6.9 |
| August 2026 | 1.9 | 4.9 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 3,216 appointments a month, or 462 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 58% were face to face (England: 63%). 34% took place on the day they were booked and 4% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
58% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 5% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Tonge Fold Health Centre | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 462 | 445 | 510 |
| Face to face | 58% | 66% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 34% | 44% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 4% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 5% | 6% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for COPD (2.9% against 1.9%), stroke or TIA (2.5% against 1.9%) and depression (18.9% against 14.3%). It has a lower share for heart failure (0.6% against 1.1%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 36.4 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 80.8 years for women and 75.4 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 18.9% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 14.9% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 10.4% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 5.4% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.7% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.6% | 3.0% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.5% | 1.9% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.6% | 1.1% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 73.6% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 74.5% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 67.8% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 74.6% | 74.9% |
Tonge Fold Health Centre, Hilton Street, Tonge Fold, Bolton, BL2 6DY. Phone: 01204 521574. Website: www.drlowe.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Bradford Street Surgery | 0.9 km | 89% |
| The Dunstan Partnership | 1.5 km | 83% |
| The Alastair Ross Medical Practice | 1.5 km | 67% |
| Lever Chambers 1 | 1.8 km | 81% |
| Beehive Surgery | 1.9 km | 69% |
- Dr Hallikeri and Partners, Little Lever Health Centre 1 (85% overall experience good)
- Little Lever Health Centre 2 (74% overall experience good)
- Springview Medical Centre (78% overall experience good)
- The Alastair Ross Medical Practice (67% overall experience good)
- The Dunstan Partnership (83% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Tonge Fold Health Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 88% of patients described their overall experience of Tonge Fold Health Centre as good, above the England figure of 77%. 83% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Tonge Fold Health Centre?
6,959 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.5% on a year earlier.
What is Tonge Fold Health Centre's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in April 2019.
How many GPs does Tonge Fold Health Centre have?
1.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (3 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 3,728 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Tonge Fold Health Centre face to face?
58% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Tonge Fold Health Centre's phone number?
01204 521574.