Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group, Kettering: patient reviews and CQC rating
Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group is a GP practice in Kettering with 22,271 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 77% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Northamptonshire: 74%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in March 2024. It has 8.0 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,789 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 78%, above the England figure of 58%. Its weakest is the share who described their overall experience of the practice as good: 77%, against 77% across England. Of the 11 results in the table, 5 are above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 6 within it.
On overall experience it is 5th of the 9 practices in Kettering with 50 or more responses. 67% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 5 points higher than in 2025 (72%). 118 patients answered the survey (response rate 32%).
| Survey question | Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 77% | 74% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 67% | 51% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 78% | 56% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 73% | 52% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 89% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 81% | 70% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 74% | 71% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 92% | 85% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 93% | 85% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 97% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 93% | 90% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 91% of 278 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group is Requires Improvement, published in March 2024. 3 key questions are rated differently: Well-led Good, Caring Good and Effective Good. Its previous overall rating was Good (October 2018).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
22,271 patients were registered at Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group in September 2026, up 2.2% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
21% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 8.0 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,789 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Northamptonshire's 2,413. The practice also has 6.7 nurses and 1.0 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 9.4 | 11.1 |
| August 2024 | 8.2 | 10.9 |
| August 2025 | 7.5 | 9.4 |
| August 2026 | 8.0 | 10.3 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 10,829 appointments a month, or 486 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 76% were face to face (England: 63%). 35% took place on the day they were booked and 21% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
31% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 486 | 531 | 510 |
| Face to face | 76% | 59% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 35% | 46% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 21% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for heart failure (1.9% against 1.1%), depression (19.8% against 14.3%) and atrial fibrillation (3.0% against 2.2%). It has a lower share for palliative or supportive care needs (0.2% against 0.6%) and serious mental illness (0.7% against 1.0%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 16.4 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 83.8 years for women and 79.5 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 19.8% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 19.6% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 8.9% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.3% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 5.8% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.6% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.3% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 3.0% | 2.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.9% | 1.1% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.3% | 1.2% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 74.6% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 81.3% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 72.5% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 75.1% | 74.9% |
Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group, 109 Desborough Road, Rothwell, Kettering, NN14 6JQ. Phone: 01536 211277. Website: www.rdhg.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Sansome and Partners | 5.7 km | 85% |
| Eskdaill Medical | 5.7 km | 86% |
| Dr Leszek Piechowski and Partners | 5.9 km | 81% |
| Lakeside Healthcare at Headlands | 6.5 km | 63% |
| Linden Medical Group | 7.0 km | 83% |
- Great Oakley Medical Centre (82% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 77% of patients described their overall experience of Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group as good, against 77% across England. 67% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group?
22,271 patients were registered in September 2026, up 2.2% on a year earlier.
What is Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in March 2024.
How many GPs does Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group have?
8.0 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (14 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,789 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group face to face?
76% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Rothwell and Desborough Healthcare Group's phone number?
01536 211277.