St James Medical Practice, Dudley: patient reviews and CQC rating
St James Medical Practice is a GP practice in Dudley with 5,960 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 81% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Black Country: 74%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in December 2023. It has 2.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,032 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about St James Medical Practice
Its best result against England is the share who said the wait for their last appointment was about right: 80%, above the England figure of 69%. Its weakest is the share who had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw: 91%, against 93% 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 7th of the 17 practices in Dudley with 50 or more responses. 64% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 5 points lower than in 2025 (86%). 98 patients answered the survey (response rate 16%).
| Survey question | St James Medical Practice | Black Country | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 81% | 74% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 64% | 53% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 63% | 54% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 62% | 54% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 93% | 81% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 76% | 68% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 80% | 65% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 89% | 85% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 88% | 84% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 91% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 88% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 90% of 107 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for St James Medical Practice is Requires Improvement, published in December 2023. 2 key questions are rated differently: Caring Good and Responsive Good. Its previous overall rating was Good (April 2015).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Requires Improvement |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Requires Improvement |
5,960 patients were registered at St James Medical Practice in September 2026, down 1.2% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
16% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 2.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,032 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and Black Country's 2,193. The practice also has 2.5 nurses and 1.1 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| August 2024 | 2.9 | 4.0 |
| August 2025 | 2.9 | 4.0 |
| August 2026 | 2.9 | 5.1 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 2,640 appointments a month, or 443 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 74% were face to face (England: 63%). 43% took place on the day they were booked and 0% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
48% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 9% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | St James Medical Practice | Black Country | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 443 | 561 | 510 |
| Face to face | 74% | 64% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 43% | 51% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 0% | 4% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 9% | 5% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for palliative or supportive care needs (1.6% against 0.6%), diabetes (11.1% against 7.9%) and chronic kidney disease (6.3% against 4.6%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.1% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 34.9 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 80.4 years for women and 76.0 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 19.3% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 15.5% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 11.1% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 6.3% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 3.2% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.2% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.1% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 1.6% | 0.6% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.4% | 1.0% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 64.4% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 38.1% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 57.6% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 65.7% | 74.9% |
St James Medical Practice, Malthouse Drive, Dudley, DY1 2BY. Phone: 01384 252729.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Dr William Porter | 0.0 km | 80% |
| Eve Hill Medical Practice | 0.2 km | 90% |
| Steppingstones Medical Practice | 0.7 km | 73% |
| Limestone Surgery | 0.7 km | 70% |
| Castle Meadows Surgery | 1.4 km | 80% |
- Anchor Medical Practice (89% overall experience good)
- Bean Road Medical Practice (70% overall experience good)
- Central Clinic (65% overall experience good)
- Dr William Porter (80% overall experience good)
- Dudley Wood Surgery (62% overall experience good)
- Eve Hill Medical Practice (90% overall experience good)
- Keelinge House Surgery (61% overall experience good)
- Limestone Surgery (70% overall experience good)
- Links Medical Practice (86% overall experience good)
- Steppingstones Medical Practice (73% overall experience good)
How do patients rate St James Medical Practice?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 81% of patients described their overall experience of St James Medical Practice as good, against 77% across England. 64% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at St James Medical Practice?
5,960 patients were registered in September 2026, down 1.2% on a year earlier.
What is St James Medical Practice's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in December 2023.
How many GPs does St James Medical Practice have?
2.9 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (3 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,032 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at St James Medical Practice face to face?
74% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is St James Medical Practice's phone number?
01384 252729.