St Pauls Practice, Carlisle: patient reviews and CQC rating
St Pauls Practice is a GP practice in Carlisle with 41,013 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 80% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (North East and North Cumbria: 80%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in November 2019. It has 18.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,192 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about St Pauls Practice
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 78%, above the England figure of 54%. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 51%, against 57% across England. Of the 11 results in the table, 2 are above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 9 within it.
On overall experience it is 4th of the 7 practices in Carlisle with 50 or more responses. 51% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 10 points higher than in 2025 (70%). 108 patients answered the survey (response rate 30%).
| Survey question | St Pauls Practice | North East and North Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 80% | 80% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 51% | 62% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 80% | 59% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 78% | 58% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 89% | 88% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 76% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 71% | 72% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 90% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 92% | 88% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 92% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 89% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 88% of 200 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for St Pauls Practice is Good, published in November 2019. All 5 key questions are rated Good. It held the same rating in the report before (December 2018).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
41,013 patients were registered at St Pauls Practice in September 2026, up 1.3% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
22% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 18.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,192 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and North East and North Cumbria's 2,088. The practice also has 21.7 nurses and 10.1 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 18.1 | 23.8 |
| August 2024 | 17.0 | 22.3 |
| August 2025 | 16.1 | 22.7 |
| August 2026 | 18.7 | 25.1 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 19,903 appointments a month, or 485 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 72% were face to face (England: 63%). 26% took place on the day they were booked and 9% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
38% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 5% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | St Pauls Practice | North East and North Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 485 | 550 | 510 |
| Face to face | 72% | 68% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 26% | 42% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 9% | 6% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 5% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for peripheral arterial disease (1.0% against 0.6%), depression (24.6% against 14.3%) and heart failure (1.8% against 1.1%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.7% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 22.7 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 81.7 years for women and 77.1 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 24.6% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 17.8% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.9% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 6.5% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.9% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 4.5% | 3.0% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.7% | 1.9% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.6% | 2.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.8% | 1.1% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.4% | 1.0% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 77.4% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 73.5% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 78.7% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 84.6% | 74.9% |
St Pauls Practice, St Paul's Medical Centre, St Paul's Square, Carlisle, CA1 1DG. Phone: 01228 524354. Website: www.spmc.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Warwick Square Group Practice | 1.7 km | 81% |
| Carlisle Central Practice | 1.9 km | 63% |
| Spencer Street Surgery | 2.1 km | 89% |
| Eden Medical Group | 3.3 km | 57% |
| Dalston Medical Group | 7.2 km | 74% |
- Brampton Medical Practice (76% overall experience good)
- Longtown Medical Centre (85% overall experience good)
- Spencer Street Surgery (89% overall experience good)
How do patients rate St Pauls Practice?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 80% of patients described their overall experience of St Pauls Practice as good, against 77% across England. 51% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at St Pauls Practice?
41,013 patients were registered in September 2026, up 1.3% on a year earlier.
What is St Pauls Practice's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in November 2019.
How many GPs does St Pauls Practice have?
18.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (24 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,192 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at St Pauls Practice face to face?
72% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is St Pauls Practice's phone number?
01228 524354.