Blackford House Medical Centre, Bury: patient reviews and CQC rating
Blackford House Medical Centre is a GP practice in Bury with 7,488 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 79% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Greater Manchester: 79%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in January 2024. It has 2.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 3,510 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Blackford House Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who said the healthcare professional was good at listening to them: 95%, above the England figure of 87%. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 42%, against 58% across England. Of the 11 results in the table, 1 is above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 10 within it.
On overall experience it is 4th of the 14 practices in Bury with 50 or more responses. 60% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 9 points lower than in 2025 (88%). 106 patients answered the survey (response rate 33%).
| Survey question | Blackford House Medical Centre | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 79% | 79% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 60% | 63% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 42% | 61% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 54% | 58% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 87% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 73% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 72% | 71% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 95% | 88% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 91% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 92% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 90% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 100% of 19 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Blackford House Medical Centre is Good, published in January 2024. All 5 key questions are rated Good. It held the same rating in the report before (March 2019).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
7,488 patients were registered at Blackford House Medical Centre in September 2026, down 1.9% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
27% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 2.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 3,510 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Greater Manchester's 2,055. The practice also has 1.0 nurses (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 4.3 | 8.0 |
| August 2024 | 4.3 | 6.0 |
| August 2025 | 2.1 | 5.4 |
| August 2026 | 2.1 | 4.8 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 3,075 appointments a month, or 411 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 75% were face to face (England: 63%). 44% took place on the day they were booked and 3% 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 | Blackford House Medical Centre | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 411 | 445 | 510 |
| Face to face | 75% | 66% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 44% | 44% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 3% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 4% | 6% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for a learning disability (1.2% against 0.6%), depression (20.3% against 14.3%) and cancer (5.3% against 3.8%). It has a lower share for palliative or supportive care needs (0.1% against 0.6%) and osteoporosis (0.3% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 17.1 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 82.9 years for women and 79.0 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 20.3% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 18.2% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 9.0% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 5.3% | 3.8% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 5.1% | 4.6% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.6% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 3.0% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 1.2% | 0.6% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 79.1% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 86.2% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 78.9% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 80.4% | 74.9% |
Blackford House Medical Centre, 137 Croft Lane, Hollins, Bury, BL9 8QA. Phone: 0161 766 6622. Website: www.blackfordhmc.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Unsworth Medical Centre | 1.7 km | 83% |
| Knowsley Medical Centre | 2.0 km | 79% |
| Townside Surgery - Dr Cooke | 2.1 km | 72% |
| Ribblesdale Medical Practice | 2.1 km | 70% |
| Peel GPs | 2.1 km | 80% |
- The Elms Medical Centre (71% overall experience good)
- The Uplands Medical Practice (72% overall experience good)
- Unsworth Medical Centre (83% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Blackford House Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 79% of patients described their overall experience of Blackford House Medical Centre as good, against 77% across England. 60% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Blackford House Medical Centre?
7,488 patients were registered in September 2026, down 1.9% on a year earlier.
What is Blackford House Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in January 2024.
How many GPs does Blackford House Medical Centre have?
2.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (2 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 3,510 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Blackford House Medical Centre face to face?
75% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Blackford House Medical Centre's phone number?
0161 766 6622.