High Street Surgery, Lowestoft: patient reviews and CQC rating
High Street Surgery is a GP practice in Lowestoft with 11,323 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 70% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Norfolk and Suffolk: 80%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in November 2022. It has 5.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,957 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about High Street Surgery
Its best result against England is the share who said the wait for their last appointment was about right: 77%, against 69% across England. Its weakest is the share who described their last contact with the practice as good: 61%, below the England figure of 73%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 1 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 10 within it.
On overall experience it is 7th of the 8 practices in Lowestoft with 50 or more responses. 57% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 9 points higher than in 2025 (61%). 116 patients answered the survey (response rate 33%).
| Survey question | High Street Surgery | Norfolk and Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 70% | 80% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 57% | 61% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 61% | 62% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 47% | 55% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 83% | 88% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 61% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 77% | 74% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 92% | 89% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 89% | 88% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 93% | 94% | 93% |
| Needs met | 89% | 92% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 96% of 343 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for High Street Surgery is Requires Improvement, published in November 2022. 2 key questions are rated differently: Well-led Inadequate and Caring Good. It held the same rating in the report before (October 2021).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Inadequate |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Requires Improvement |
11,323 patients were registered at High Street Surgery in September 2026, down 2.6% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
24% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 5.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,957 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and Norfolk and Suffolk's 2,133. The practice also has 2.8 nurses and 5.3 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| August 2024 | 5.0 | 6.1 |
| August 2025 | 4.5 | 6.6 |
| August 2026 | 5.8 | 7.9 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 5,046 appointments a month, or 446 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 83% were face to face (England: 63%). 44% took place on the day they were booked and 3% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
36% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | High Street Surgery | Norfolk and Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 446 | 578 | 510 |
| Face to face | 83% | 70% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 44% | 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 COPD (4.0% against 1.9%), a learning disability (1.1% against 0.6%) and chronic kidney disease (8.6% against 4.6%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 38.4 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived). Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 80.6 years for women and 76.2 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 18.9% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 18.1% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 11.2% | 7.9% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 8.6% | 4.6% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 8.6% | 6.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.4% | 3.8% |
| COPD | All ages | 4.0% | 1.9% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.8% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 1.1% | 0.6% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 72.3% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 72.5% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 69.4% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 71.0% | 74.9% |
98% of the practice's patients live in the NR32 postcode district. 99% live in East Suffolk, the council area the practice is in.
| Postcode district | Registered patients | Share |
|---|---|---|
| NR32 | 11,198 | 98% |
High Street Surgery, The Surgery, High Street, Lowestoft, NR32 1JE. Phone: 01502 589151. Website: www.highstreetsurgerylowestoft.nhs.net.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandra Road Surgery | 0.7 km | 74% |
| Kirkley Mill Surgery | 2.2 km | 82% |
| Dr Bouch and Partners | 2.9 km | 67% |
| Dr Morrison & Partners | 3.1 km | 81% |
| Andaman Surgery | 4.3 km | 88% |
- Alexandra Road Surgery (74% overall experience good)
- Andaman Surgery (88% overall experience good)
- Dr Bouch and Partners (67% overall experience good)
- Dr Morrison & Partners (81% overall experience good)
- Kirkley Mill Surgery (82% overall experience good)
- Rosedale Surgery (83% overall experience good)
How do patients rate High Street Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 70% of patients described their overall experience of High Street Surgery as good, against 77% across England. 57% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at High Street Surgery?
11,323 patients were registered in September 2026, down 2.6% on a year earlier.
What is High Street Surgery's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in November 2022.
How many GPs does High Street Surgery have?
5.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (6 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,957 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at High Street Surgery face to face?
83% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is High Street Surgery's phone number?
01502 589151.