The Firs Medical Centre, London: patient reviews and CQC rating
The Firs Medical Centre is a GP practice in London with 11,946 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 79% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (North East London: 71%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Inadequate overall, in a report published in July 2022. It has 2.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 4,328 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about The Firs Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 81%, above the England figure of 58%. Its weakest is the share who said they were treated with care and concern: 79%, below the England figure of 86%. 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 305th of the 648 practices in London with 50 or more responses. 64% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 8 points higher than in 2025 (71%). 94 patients answered the survey (response rate 16%).
| Survey question | The Firs Medical Centre | North East London | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 79% | 71% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 64% | 55% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 81% | 53% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 48% | 50% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 82% | 79% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 73% | 67% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 84% | 62% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 82% | 83% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 79% | 82% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 90% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 89% | 87% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 75% of 60 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for The Firs Medical Centre is Inadequate, published in July 2022. 2 key questions are rated differently: Caring Good and Responsive Requires Improvement. It held the same rating in the report before (December 2021).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Inadequate |
| Well-led | Inadequate |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Inadequate |
11,946 patients were registered at The Firs Medical Centre in September 2026, down 1.2% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
9% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 2.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 4,328 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and North East London's 2,551. The practice also has 1.1 nurses (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| August 2024 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| August 2025 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| August 2026 | 2.8 | 3.8 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 4,103 appointments a month, or 343 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 50% were face to face (England: 63%). 62% took place on the day they were booked and 0% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
52% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 6% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | The Firs Medical Centre | North East London | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 343 | 456 | 510 |
| Face to face | 50% | 58% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 62% | 46% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 0% | 2% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 6% | 7% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a lower share of patients for osteoporosis (0.0% against 1.2%), palliative or supportive care needs (0.1% against 0.6%) and dementia (0.2% against 0.8%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 24.2 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived). Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 84.3 years for women and 78.1 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 11.4% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 9.8% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 6.3% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 4.2% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 2.0% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 1.5% | 3.0% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.0% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| COPD | All ages | 0.7% | 1.9% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.0% | 1.2% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 62.9% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 65.8% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 66.2% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 70.0% | 74.9% |
The Firs Medical Centre, 26 Stephenson Road, London, E17 7JT. Phone: 020 8521 2491. Website: www.thefirs.org.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| St James Medical Practice | 0.0 km | 57% |
| Dr A.Q. Sheikh & Partners | 1.0 km | 78% |
| Dr Dauod Yosuf Abdulrahman Shantir | 1.2 km | 63% |
| Seymour Medical Centre | 1.3 km | 66% |
| The Manor Practice | 1.3 km | 53% |
- Addison Road Medical Practice (71% overall experience good)
- Claremont Medical Centre (79% overall experience good)
- Wood Street Health Centre (78% overall experience good)
- Wood Street Health Centre - Dr. Raghav Prasad Dhital (77% overall experience good)
How do patients rate The Firs Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 79% of patients described their overall experience of The Firs Medical Centre as good, against 77% across England. 64% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at The Firs Medical Centre?
11,946 patients were registered in September 2026, down 1.2% on a year earlier.
What is The Firs Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Inadequate overall, published in July 2022.
How many GPs does The Firs Medical Centre have?
2.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (4 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 4,328 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at The Firs Medical Centre face to face?
50% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is The Firs Medical Centre's phone number?
020 8521 2491.