Waterbeach Surgery, Cambridge: patient reviews and CQC rating
Waterbeach Surgery is a GP practice in Cambridge with 9,675 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 53% of its patients described their overall experience as good, below the England figure of 77% (Central East: 75%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in January 2022. It has 4.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,311 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Waterbeach Surgery
Its result closest to England is the share who found the reception and administrative team helpful: 83%, against 85% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 17%, below the England figure of 58%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 7 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 4 within it.
On overall experience it is 30th of the 30 practices in Cambridge with 50 or more responses. 45% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 14 points lower than in 2025 (67%). 109 patients answered the survey (response rate 32%).
| Survey question | Waterbeach Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 53% | 75% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 45% | 52% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 17% | 60% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 25% | 52% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 83% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 49% | 71% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 49% | 69% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 84% | 86% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 77% | 85% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 90% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 86% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 94% of 224 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Waterbeach Surgery is Requires Improvement, published in January 2022. 2 key questions are rated differently: Caring Good and Effective Good. It held the same rating in the report before (June 2021).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Requires Improvement |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
9,675 patients were registered at Waterbeach Surgery in September 2026, almost the same as a year earlier.
17% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 4.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,311 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and Central East's 2,348. The practice also has 3.5 nurses and 2.4 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| August 2024 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| August 2025 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| August 2026 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 4,127 appointments a month, or 427 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 59% were face to face (England: 63%). 45% took place on the day they were booked and 4% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
48% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Waterbeach Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 427 | 521 | 510 |
| Face to face | 59% | 62% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 45% | 48% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 4% | 6% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for dementia (1.1% against 0.8%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 11.4 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived). Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 83.8 years for women and 80.6 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 13.5% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 11.9% | 14.3% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.6% | 6.6% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 6.4% | 7.9% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 4.3% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.8% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 73.9% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 68.2% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 68.7% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 77.0% | 74.9% |
Waterbeach Surgery, Rosalind Franklin House, Bannold Road, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB25 9LQ. Phone: 01223 860387. Website: www.waterbeachsurgery.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Milton Surgery | 3.9 km | 76% |
| Nuffield Road Medical Centre | 5.8 km | 75% |
| Firs House Partnership | 6.4 km | 75% |
| Baddeley Green Surgery | 6.6 km | 68% |
| Arbury Road Surgery | 6.8 km | 81% |
- Firs House Partnership (75% overall experience good)
- Maple Surgery (78% overall experience good)
- Milton Surgery (76% overall experience good)
- Over Surgery (91% overall experience good)
- Swavesey Surgery (93% overall experience good)
- Willingham Medical Practice (80% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Waterbeach Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 53% of patients described their overall experience of Waterbeach Surgery as good, below the England figure of 77%. 45% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Waterbeach Surgery?
9,675 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.1% on a year earlier.
What is Waterbeach Surgery's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in January 2022.
How many GPs does Waterbeach Surgery have?
4.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (8 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,311 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Waterbeach Surgery face to face?
59% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Waterbeach Surgery's phone number?
01223 860387.