Ardleigh Surgery, Colchester: patient reviews and CQC rating
Ardleigh Surgery is a GP practice in Colchester with 7,281 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 77% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Essex: 74%). It has 3.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,979 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Ardleigh Surgery
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 60%, against 54% across England. Its weakest is the share who said the healthcare professional was good at listening to them: 84%, against 87% across England. With 106 responses, none of its 11 results differs from England by more than the survey's margin of error.
On overall experience it is 9th of the 22 practices in Colchester with 50 or more responses. 61% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 5 points lower than in 2025 (82%). 106 patients answered the survey (response rate 35%).
| Survey question | Ardleigh Surgery | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 77% | 74% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 61% | 50% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 57% | 56% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 60% | 51% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 85% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 75% | 70% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 69% | 70% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 84% | 84% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 84% | 83% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 90% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 88% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 98% of 123 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
7,281 patients were registered at Ardleigh Surgery in September 2026, down 2.1% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
28% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 3.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,979 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and Essex's 2,514. The practice also has 3.7 nurses and 5.5 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 4.4 | 6.5 |
| August 2024 | 4.4 | 6.4 |
| August 2025 | 3.7 | 6.5 |
| August 2026 | 3.7 | 8.2 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 4,777 appointments a month, or 656 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 50% were face to face (England: 63%). 56% took place on the day they were booked and 1% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
49% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Ardleigh Surgery | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 656 | 480 | 510 |
| Face to face | 50% | 69% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 56% | 45% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 1% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for cancer (6.4% against 3.8%), palliative or supportive care needs (0.8% against 0.6%) and dementia (1.2% against 0.8%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.3% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 13.6 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 84.9 years for women and 80.8 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 16.6% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 15.9% | 15.2% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.0% | 6.6% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 7.2% | 7.9% |
| Cancer | All ages | 6.4% | 3.8% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 5.1% | 4.6% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 3.0% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.5% | 1.1% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 81.5% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 76.9% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 81.0% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 86.0% | 74.9% |
Ardleigh Surgery, 1 The Street, Dedham Road, Ardleigh, Colchester, CO7 7LD. Phone: 01206 230224.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Bluebell Surgery | 4.5 km | 77% |
| Dr Hazim Ahmad | 4.7 km | 91% |
| Highwoods Surgery | 4.9 km | 70% |
| Riverside Health Centre | 5.6 km | 69% |
| Colchester Medical Limited | 6.1 km | 75% |
- Dr Michael Coggan (80% overall experience good)
- Fronks Road Surgery (72% overall experience good)
- Mayflower Medical Centre (66% overall experience good)
- Riverside Health Centre (69% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Ardleigh Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 77% of patients described their overall experience of Ardleigh Surgery as good, against 77% across England. 61% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Ardleigh Surgery?
7,281 patients were registered in September 2026, down 2.1% on a year earlier.
How many GPs does Ardleigh Surgery have?
3.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (4 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,979 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Ardleigh Surgery face to face?
50% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Ardleigh Surgery's phone number?
01206 230224.