Harbour Medical Practice, Folkestone: patient reviews and CQC rating
Harbour Medical Practice is a GP practice in Folkestone with 3,348 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 48% of its patients described their overall experience as good, below the England figure of 77% (Kent and Medway: 73%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in November 2017. It has 0.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 15,694 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Harbour Medical Practice
Its best result against England is the share who had confidence and trust in the healthcare professional they saw: 94%, against 93% across England. Its weakest is the share who described their overall experience of the practice as good: 48%, below the England figure of 77%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 8 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 3 within it.
On overall experience it is 8th of the 8 practices in Folkestone with 50 or more responses. 45% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 6 points lower than in 2025 (54%). 102 patients answered the survey (response rate 27%).
| Survey question | Harbour Medical Practice | Kent and Medway | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 48% | 73% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 45% | 48% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 51% | 52% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 36% | 50% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 74% | 82% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 45% | 67% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 42% | 65% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 77% | 85% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 76% | 84% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 94% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 84% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 81% of 16 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Harbour Medical Practice is Good, published in November 2017. All 5 key questions are rated Good. Its previous overall rating was Inadequate (May 2017).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
3,348 patients were registered at Harbour Medical Practice in September 2026, down 5.5% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
18% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 0.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 15,694 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Kent and Medway's 2,419. The practice also has 0.9 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 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| August 2024 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| August 2026 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 938 appointments a month, or 280 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 58% were face to face (England: 63%). 16% took place on the day they were booked and 7% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
50% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 6% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Harbour Medical Practice | Kent and Medway | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 280 | 457 | 510 |
| Face to face | 58% | 62% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 16% | 41% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 7% | 7% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 6% | 5% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for depression (21.5% against 14.3%) and COPD (2.8% against 1.9%). It has a lower share for palliative or supportive care needs (0.1% against 0.6%), cancer (2.6% against 3.8%) and asthma (5.1% against 6.6%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 36.5 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 81.1 years for women and 75.1 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 21.5% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 15.2% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.1% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 3.8% | 4.6% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.2% | 3.0% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.8% | 1.9% |
| Cancer | All ages | 2.6% | 3.8% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.2% | 1.0% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 69.1% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 66.7% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 70.5% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 72.1% | 74.9% |
Harbour Medical Practice, Folkestone Health Centre, 15-25 Dover Road, Folkestone, CT20 1JY. Phone: 01303 220707.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Guildhall Surgery | 0.2 km | 74% |
| The Manor Clinic | 0.6 km | 69% |
| The New Surgery | 0.7 km | 49% |
| Sandgate Road | 1.7 km | 57% |
| White House Surgery | 2.5 km | 65% |
- Dr Mathibalasingham Chandrakumar (72% overall experience good)
- Dr Zaw Thike (96% overall experience good)
- New Lyminge Surgery (75% overall experience good)
- Oaklands Health Centre (72% overall experience good)
- The Hawkinge & Elham Valley Practice (74% overall experience good)
- White House Surgery (65% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Harbour Medical Practice?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 48% of patients described their overall experience of Harbour Medical Practice as good, below the England figure of 77%. 45% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Harbour Medical Practice?
3,348 patients were registered in September 2026, down 5.5% on a year earlier.
What is Harbour Medical Practice's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in November 2017.
How many GPs does Harbour Medical Practice have?
0.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (1 qualified GP by headcount), which is 15,694 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Harbour Medical Practice face to face?
58% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Harbour Medical Practice's phone number?
01303 220707.