Cestria Health Centre, Chester Le Street: patient reviews and CQC rating
Cestria Health Centre is a GP practice in Chester Le Street with 12,523 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 68% 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 Outstanding overall, in a report published in February 2017. It has 8.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,551 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Cestria Health Centre
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 59%, against 54% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 44%, below the England figure of 57%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 1 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 10 within it.
On overall experience it is 6th of the 6 practices in Chester Le Street with 50 or more responses. 44% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 11 points lower than in 2025 (79%). 91 patients answered the survey (response rate 30%).
| Survey question | Cestria Health Centre | North East and North Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 68% | 80% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 44% | 62% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 54% | 59% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 59% | 58% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 79% | 88% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 67% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 67% | 72% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 88% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 89% | 88% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 93% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 92% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 97% of 303 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Cestria Health Centre is Outstanding, published in February 2017. 3 key questions are rated differently: Safe Good, Caring Good and Responsive Good.
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Outstanding |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Outstanding |
12,523 patients were registered at Cestria Health Centre in September 2026, down 1.1% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
24% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 8.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,551 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and North East and North Cumbria's 2,088. The practice also has 4.6 nurses and 2.8 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 8.1 | 13.0 |
| August 2024 | 8.1 | 12.0 |
| August 2025 | 8.1 | 11.3 |
| August 2026 | 8.1 | 12.1 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 6,726 appointments a month, or 537 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 93% were face to face (England: 63%). 44% took place on the day they were booked and 15% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
40% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 4% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Cestria Health Centre | North East and North Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 537 | 550 | 510 |
| Face to face | 93% | 68% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 44% | 42% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 15% | 6% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for osteoporosis (2.5% against 1.2%), stroke or TIA (3.1% against 1.9%) and heart failure (1.7% against 1.1%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 20.8 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived). Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 82.7 years for women and 78.0 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 18.3% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 14.6% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.6% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 5.4% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 5.0% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 4.1% | 3.0% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 3.1% | 1.9% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.9% | 2.2% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 2.5% | 1.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.2% | 1.9% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.7% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.8% | 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 | 81.1% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 82.9% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 79.7% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 82.6% | 74.9% |
Cestria Health Centre, Whitehill Way, Chester Le Street, DH2 3DJ. Phone: 0191 388 7771. Website: www.cestriahealthcentre.nhs.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Gardiner Crescent Surgery | 1.0 km | 83% |
| Middle Chare Medical Group | 1.6 km | 79% |
| Bridge End Surgery | 1.8 km | 78% |
| The Surgery-Pelton | 2.4 km | 72% |
| The Surgery - Great Lumley | 3.8 km | 93% |
- Bridge End Surgery (78% overall experience good)
- Gardiner Crescent Surgery (83% overall experience good)
- Middle Chare Medical Group (79% overall experience good)
- Sacriston Medical Centre (75% overall experience good)
- The Surgery - Great Lumley (93% overall experience good)
- The Surgery-Pelton (72% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Cestria Health Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 68% of patients described their overall experience of Cestria Health Centre as good, against 77% across England. 44% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Cestria Health Centre?
12,523 patients were registered in September 2026, down 1.1% on a year earlier.
What is Cestria Health Centre's CQC rating?
Outstanding overall, published in February 2017.
How many GPs does Cestria Health Centre have?
8.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (12 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,551 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Cestria Health Centre face to face?
93% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Cestria Health Centre's phone number?
0191 388 7771.