Castle Street Surgery, Luton: patient reviews and CQC rating
Castle Street Surgery is a GP practice in Luton with 14,128 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 66% of its patients described their overall experience as good, below the England figure of 77% (Central East: 75%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in March 2020. It has 3.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 4,273 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Castle Street Surgery
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 59%, against 58% across England. Its weakest is the share who said the wait for their last appointment was about right: 50%, below the England figure of 69%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 5 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 6 within it.
On overall experience it is 21st of the 25 practices in Luton with 50 or more responses. 43% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 18 points higher than in 2025 (48%). 101 patients answered the survey (response rate 19%).
| Survey question | Castle Street Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 66% | 75% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 43% | 52% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 59% | 60% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 35% | 52% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 73% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 65% | 71% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 50% | 69% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 80% | 86% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 81% | 85% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 89% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 86% | 89% | 90% |
CQC's overall rating for Castle Street Surgery is Requires Improvement, published in March 2020. 3 key questions are rated differently: Safe Good, Well-led Good and Effective Good. It held the same rating in the report before (January 2019).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Requires Improvement |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
14,128 patients were registered at Castle Street Surgery in September 2026, down 9.8% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
14% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 3.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 4,273 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Central East's 2,348. The practice also has 0.9 nurses and 3.4 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 3.6 | 6.3 |
| August 2024 | 3.6 | 6.6 |
| August 2025 | 3.6 | 11.1 |
| August 2026 | 3.3 | 7.1 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 5,381 appointments a month, or 381 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 81% were face to face (England: 63%). 35% took place on the day they were booked and 5% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
49% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 7% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Castle Street Surgery | Central East | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 381 | 521 | 510 |
| Face to face | 81% | 62% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 35% | 48% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 5% | 6% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 7% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for osteoporosis (1.8% against 1.2%). It has a lower share for depression (4.7% against 14.3%), palliative or supportive care needs (0.3% against 0.6%) and chronic kidney disease (3.0% against 4.6%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 27.3 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 81.7 years for women and 77.3 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 12.8% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 7.2% | 7.9% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 4.7% | 14.3% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 3.0% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 2.5% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.3% | 3.0% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.8% | 1.9% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.4% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 70.4% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 71.9% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 52.5% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 70.6% | 74.9% |
Castle Street Surgery, The Surgery, Luton, LU1 3AG. Phone: 0844 387 9242. Website: www.castlestreetsurgeryluton.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| The Medici Medical Practice | 0.2 km | 67% |
| Town Centre Surgery | 0.2 km | 76% |
| Bute House Medical Centre | 0.8 km | 85% |
| Lea Vale Medical Practice | 0.9 km | 73% |
| Bell House Medical Centre | 1.3 km | 80% |
- Town Centre Surgery (76% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Castle Street Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 66% of patients described their overall experience of Castle Street Surgery as good, below the England figure of 77%. 43% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Castle Street Surgery?
14,128 patients were registered in September 2026, down 9.8% on a year earlier.
What is Castle Street Surgery's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in March 2020.
How many GPs does Castle Street Surgery have?
3.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (5 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 4,273 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Castle Street Surgery face to face?
81% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Castle Street Surgery's phone number?
0844 387 9242.