Heacham Group Practice, Kings Lynn: patient reviews and CQC rating
Heacham Group Practice is a GP practice in Kings Lynn with 7,566 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 67% of its patients described their overall experience as good, below the England figure of 77% (Norfolk and Suffolk: 80%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in January 2023. It has 5.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,329 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Heacham Group Practice
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 75%, above the England figure of 58%. Its weakest is the share who described their overall experience of the practice as good: 67%, below the England figure of 77%. Of the 11 results in the table, 2 are above England and 1 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 8 within it.
On overall experience it is 11th of the 11 practices in Kings Lynn with 50 or more responses. 49% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 16 points lower than in 2025 (83%). 126 patients answered the survey (response rate 47%).
| Survey question | Heacham Group Practice | Norfolk and Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 67% | 80% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 49% | 61% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 75% | 62% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 67% | 55% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 81% | 88% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 71% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 80% | 74% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 85% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 82% | 88% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 91% | 94% | 93% |
| Needs met | 90% | 92% | 90% |
CQC's overall rating for Heacham Group Practice is Requires Improvement, published in January 2023. One key question is rated differently: Caring Good. Its previous overall rating was Inadequate (April 2022).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Requires Improvement |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Requires Improvement |
7,566 patients were registered at Heacham Group Practice in September 2026, down 1.1% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
43% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 5.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,329 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and Norfolk and Suffolk's 2,133. The practice also has 2.7 nurses and 2.7 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 5.7 | 10.0 |
| August 2024 | 5.7 | 7.6 |
| August 2025 | 5.7 | 7.4 |
| August 2026 | 5.7 | 7.6 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 7,174 appointments a month, or 948 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 87% were face to face (England: 63%). 52% took place on the day they were booked and 3% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
18% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Heacham Group Practice | Norfolk and Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 948 | 578 | 510 |
| Face to face | 87% | 70% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 52% | 42% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 3% | 8% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 3% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for dementia (2.2% against 0.8%), chronic kidney disease (11.7% against 4.6%) and atrial fibrillation (5.3% against 2.2%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.3% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 18.7 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 81.6 years for women and 80.1 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 28.3% | 15.2% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 11.7% | 4.6% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 11.7% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 11.6% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.9% | 6.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 7.2% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 6.2% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 5.3% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 4.5% | 1.9% |
| COPD | All ages | 3.8% | 1.9% |
| Dementia | All ages | 2.2% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 2.1% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.3% | 1.2% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 79.6% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 84.3% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 75.7% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 72.5% | 74.9% |
Heacham Group Practice, 45 Station Road, Heacham, Kings Lynn, PE31 7EX. Phone: 01485 572769. Website: www.heachamgrouppractice.org.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| The Woottons Surgery | 13.8 km | 75% |
| Grimston Medical Centre | 15.6 km | 77% |
| St James Medical Practice | 15.7 km | 92% |
| The Burnhams Surgery | 16.5 km | 83% |
| Gayton Road Health and Surgical Centre | 17.6 km | 76% |
- Great Massingham Surgery (88% overall experience good)
- Grimston Medical Centre (77% overall experience good)
- The Burnhams Surgery (83% overall experience good)
- Wells Health Centre (90% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Heacham Group Practice?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 67% of patients described their overall experience of Heacham Group Practice as good, below the England figure of 77%. 49% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Heacham Group Practice?
7,566 patients were registered in September 2026, down 1.1% on a year earlier.
What is Heacham Group Practice's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in January 2023.
How many GPs does Heacham Group Practice have?
5.7 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (7 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,329 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Heacham Group Practice face to face?
87% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Heacham Group Practice's phone number?
01485 572769.