Church Lane Surgery, Braintree: patient reviews and CQC rating
Church Lane Surgery is a GP practice in Braintree with 11,772 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 58% of its patients described their overall experience as good, below the England figure of 77% (Essex: 74%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in February 2021. It has 3.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 3,114 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Church Lane Surgery
Its result closest to England is the share who had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw: 90%, against 93% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 26%, below the England figure of 57%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 8 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 3 within it.
On overall experience it is 5th of the 5 practices in Braintree with 50 or more responses. 26% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 4 points higher than in 2025 (54%). 171 patients answered the survey (response rate 26%).
| Survey question | Church Lane Surgery | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 58% | 74% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 26% | 50% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 39% | 56% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 44% | 51% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 77% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 50% | 70% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 60% | 70% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 80% | 84% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 74% | 83% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 90% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 87% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 80% of 255 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Church Lane Surgery is Good, published in February 2021. One key question is rated differently: Responsive Requires Improvement. Its previous overall rating was Requires Improvement (January 2020).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
11,772 patients were registered at Church Lane Surgery in September 2026, down 2.3% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
18% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 3.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 3,114 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Essex's 2,514. The practice also has 3.7 nurses and 1.3 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| August 2024 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| August 2025 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| August 2026 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 7,086 appointments a month, or 602 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 69% were face to face (England: 63%). 47% took place on the day they were booked and 14% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
52% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Church Lane Surgery | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 602 | 480 | 510 |
| Face to face | 69% | 69% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 47% | 45% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 14% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for dementia (1.4% against 0.8%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.1% against 1.2%), heart failure (0.7% against 1.1%) and cancer (2.4% against 3.8%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 18.8 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 81.8 years for women and 78.7 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 14.5% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 11.9% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.2% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 3.8% | 4.6% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.6% | 3.0% |
| Cancer | All ages | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.8% | 1.9% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 66.9% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 63.3% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 67.8% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 70.6% | 74.9% |
Church Lane Surgery, Braintree College, Church Lane, Braintree, CM7 5SN. Phone: 01376 552474.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Chambers Medical Practice | 1.3 km | 64% |
| Blyth's Meadow Surgery | 1.6 km | 87% |
| Blandford Medical Centre | 1.8 km | 69% |
| Silver End Surgery | 6.7 km | 42% |
| The Elizabeth Courtauld Partnership | 7.9 km | 79% |
How do patients rate Church Lane Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 58% of patients described their overall experience of Church Lane Surgery as good, below the England figure of 77%. 26% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Church Lane Surgery?
11,772 patients were registered in September 2026, down 2.3% on a year earlier.
What is Church Lane Surgery's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in February 2021.
How many GPs does Church Lane Surgery have?
3.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (5 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 3,114 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Church Lane Surgery face to face?
69% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Church Lane Surgery's phone number?
01376 552474.