GP practices in Dorset: access, ratings and patient survey
Dorset covers 68 GP practices with 822,565 registered patients (September 2026). 80% of patients described their overall experience as good in the 2026 GP Patient Survey, the 6th highest of 36 ICBs (England: 77%). There are 1,904 patients per qualified GP, against 2,171 across England.
Latest data: September 2026. Registered patients September 2026; GP Patient Survey 2026.
| Survey question | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 80% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 63% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 65% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 55% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 88% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 77% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 67% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 88% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 94% | 93% |
| Needs met | 92% | 90% |
There are 1,904 registered patients per full-time-equivalent qualified GP in Dorset, fewer than England's 2,171. Practices recorded 612 appointments a month per 1,000 patients (England: 510), 63% of them face to face. 43% of appointments took place on the day they were booked (England: 45%).
26% of registered patients are aged 65 or over (England: 19%). Lists shrank by 1.2% over the year (England: shrank 1.1%).
| Measure | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|
| Patients per qualified GP | 1,904 | 2,171 |
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 612 | 510 |
| Face-to-face appointments | 63% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 43% | 45% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 4% |
| Patients aged 65 or over | 26% | 19% |
Patients per qualified GP by council area, for practices located in each.
| Council area | Practices | Registered patients | Patients per GP | Same-day appointments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset | 37 | 368,539 | 1,953 | 42% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 32 | 456,452 | 1,856 | 45% |
Among practices with at least 100 survey responses, Milton Abbas Surgery has the highest share of patients rating their overall experience good (99%) and Wyke Regis and Lanehouse Medical Practice the lowest (53%).
| Practice | Town | Overall experience good | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Abbas Surgery | Blandford Forum | 99% | 121 |
| Corfe Castle Surgery | Corfe Castle, Wareham | 97% | 131 |
| Puddletown Surgery | Dorchester | 97% | 121 |
| Yetminster Health Centre | Sherborne | 96% | 114 |
| The Prince of Wales Surgery | Dorchester | 96% | 104 |
| Southbourne Surgery | Bournemouth | 94% | 110 |
| Fordington Surgery | Dorchester | 94% | 105 |
| The Bridges Medical Practice | Weymouth | 94% | 126 |
| The Hadleigh Practice | Broadstone | 94% | 119 |
| St Alban's Medical Centre | Bournemouth | 93% | 118 |
| Cross Road Surgery | Weymouth | 73% | 135 |
| Atrium Health Centre | Dorchester | 73% | 104 |
| Kinson Road Medical Centre | Bournemouth | 71% | 107 |
| The Adam Practice | Poole | 71% | 110 |
| Shore Medical | Poole | 70% | 167 |
| Bearwood Medical Centre | Bournemouth | 69% | 103 |
| The Panton Practice | Bournemouth | 68% | 102 |
| Bridport Medical Centre | Bridport | 65% | 124 |
| The Village Surgery | Poole | 61% | 103 |
| Wyke Regis and Lanehouse Medical Practice | Weymouth | 53% | 122 |
Relative to England, the register furthest above England's rate at practices in Dorset is palliative care (0.9% against 0.6%), and the furthest below is depression (13.5% against 14.3%).
| Condition register | Age group | Dorset (2024/25) | England | Patients on register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 17.4% | 15.2% | 144,585 |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 13.5% | 14.3% | 93,204 |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.8% | 6.6% | 61,843 |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 7.5% | 7.9% | 52,805 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 6.5% | 4.6% | 45,071 |
| Cancer | All ages | 5.1% | 3.8% | 42,287 |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 4.2% | 3.0% | 35,164 |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 3.3% | 2.2% | 27,759 |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.7% | 1.9% | 22,086 |
| COPD | All ages | 2.2% | 1.9% | 18,090 |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.7% | 1.2% | 6,283 |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.7% | 1.1% | 13,783 |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.1% | 1.0% | 8,991 |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.0% | 0.8% | 8,649 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.0% | 0.8% | 6,848 |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% | 7,791 |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% | 5,317 |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% | 5,361 |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% | 5,282 |
- Bournemouth East Collaborative PCN (4 practices)
- Central Bournemouth PCN (4 practices)
- Christchurch PCN (4 practices)
- Crane Valley PCN (4 practices)
- Jurassic Coast PCN (3 practices)
- Mid Dorset PCN (8 practices)
- North Bournemouth PCN (4 practices)
- Poole Central PCN (5 practices)
- Poole North PCN (4 practices)
- Purbeck PCN (6 practices)
- Sherborne Area PCN (3 practices)
- South Coastal Medical Group PCN (5 practices)
- The Vale PCN (2 practices)
- Weymouth & Portland PCN (5 practices)
- Wimborne & Ferndown PCN (4 practices)
- Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (81% overall experience good)
- Birmingham and Solihull (73% overall experience good)
- Black Country (74% overall experience good)
- Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (78% overall experience good)
- Central East (75% overall experience good)
- Cheshire and Merseyside (78% overall experience good)
- Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (79% overall experience good)
- Coventry and Warwickshire (81% overall experience good)
- Derby and Derbyshire (76% overall experience good)
- Devon (79% overall experience good)
- Essex (74% overall experience good)
- Gloucestershire (81% overall experience good)
- Greater Manchester (79% overall experience good)
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight (74% overall experience good)
- Herefordshire and Worcestershire (80% overall experience good)
- Humber and North Yorkshire (79% overall experience good)
- Kent and Medway (73% overall experience good)
- Lancashire and South Cumbria (78% overall experience good)
- Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (73% overall experience good)
- Lincolnshire (74% overall experience good)
- Norfolk and Suffolk (80% overall experience good)
- North East London (71% overall experience good)
- North East and North Cumbria (80% overall experience good)
- Northamptonshire (74% overall experience good)
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (74% overall experience good)
- Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (77% overall experience good)
- Somerset (79% overall experience good)
- South East London (76% overall experience good)
- South West London (81% overall experience good)
- South Yorkshire (77% overall experience good)
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (80% overall experience good)
- Surrey and Sussex (78% overall experience good)
- Thames Valley (76% overall experience good)
- West Yorkshire (76% overall experience good)
- West and North London (75% overall experience good)
How many GP practices are in Dorset?
68, with 822,565 registered patients in September 2026.
How do patients rate GP practices in Dorset?
80% described their overall experience as good in the 2026 GP Patient Survey, the 6th highest of 36 ICBs.
How many patients are there per GP in Dorset?
1,904 per full-time-equivalent qualified GP, against 2,171 across England.
What share of GP appointments in Dorset are face to face?
63%, against 63% across England.