Balfour Medical Centre, Grays: patient reviews and CQC rating
Balfour Medical Centre is a GP practice in Grays with 5,423 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 69% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Essex: 74%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Inadequate overall, in a report published in November 2023. It has 1.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 4,675 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Balfour Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who said their needs were met at their last appointment: 90%, against 90% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 41%, below the England figure of 58%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 4 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 7 within it.
On overall experience it is 7th of the 9 practices in Grays with 50 or more responses. 56% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 11 points higher than in 2025 (58%). 91 patients answered the survey (response rate 18%).
| Survey question | Balfour Medical Centre | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 69% | 74% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 56% | 50% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 41% | 56% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 51% | 51% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 80% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 59% | 70% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 62% | 70% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 83% | 84% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 69% | 83% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 86% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 90% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 91% of 34 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Balfour Medical Centre is Inadequate, published in November 2023. One key question is rated differently: Caring Requires Improvement. Its previous overall rating was Requires Improvement (June 2022).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Inadequate |
| Well-led | Inadequate |
| Caring | Requires Improvement |
| Responsive | Inadequate |
| Effective | Inadequate |
5,423 patients were registered at Balfour Medical Centre in September 2026, down 0.9% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
16% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 1.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 4,675 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Essex's 2,514. The practice also has 0.8 nurses and 0.5 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| August 2024 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| August 2025 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| August 2026 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 4,895 appointments a month, or 903 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 34% were face to face (England: 63%). 54% took place on the day they were booked and 1% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
37% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Balfour Medical Centre | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 903 | 480 | 510 |
| Face to face | 34% | 69% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 54% | 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 chronic kidney disease (6.8% against 4.6%) and diabetes (9.9% against 7.9%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.2% against 1.2%), atrial fibrillation (1.6% against 2.2%) and coronary heart disease (2.3% against 3.0%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 17.1 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 82.9 years for women and 78.7 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 16.0% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 14.3% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 9.9% | 7.9% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 6.8% | 4.6% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 3.3% | 3.8% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.3% | 3.0% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.8% | 1.9% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.6% | 2.2% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 70.8% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 61.3% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 72.1% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 74.2% | 74.9% |
Balfour Medical Centre, 2 Balfour Road, Grays, RM17 5NS. Phone: 01375 373366.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Primecare Medical Centre | 0.9 km | 72% |
| Oddfellows Hall Health Centre | 0.9 km | 75% |
| Dell Medical Centre | 1.0 km | 93% |
| The Yadava Practice | 1.1 km | 93% |
| Stifford Clays Medical Practice | 1.4 km | 83% |
- Dell Medical Centre (93% overall experience good)
- Dr T Abela & Partners (66% overall experience good)
- Peartree Surgery and West Horndon Surgery (51% overall experience good)
- Primecare Medical Centre (72% overall experience good)
- Stifford Clays Medical Practice (83% overall experience good)
- The Yadava Practice (93% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Balfour Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 69% of patients described their overall experience of Balfour Medical Centre as good, against 77% across England. 56% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Balfour Medical Centre?
5,423 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.9% on a year earlier.
What is Balfour Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Inadequate overall, published in November 2023.
How many GPs does Balfour Medical Centre have?
1.2 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (2 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 4,675 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Balfour Medical Centre face to face?
34% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Balfour Medical Centre's phone number?
01375 373366.