Barlow Medical Centre, Manchester: patient reviews and CQC rating
Barlow Medical Centre is a GP practice in Manchester with 15,884 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 81% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Greater Manchester: 79%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Outstanding overall, in a report published in January 2019. It has 8.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,966 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Barlow Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who said the wait for their last appointment was about right: 90%, above the England figure of 69%. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 49%, against 57% across England. Of the 11 results in the table, 3 are above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 8 within it.
On overall experience it is 74th of the 149 practices in Manchester with 50 or more responses. 49% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 5 points lower than in 2025 (86%). 94 patients answered the survey (response rate 20%).
| Survey question | Barlow Medical Centre | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 81% | 79% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 49% | 63% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 54% | 61% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 63% | 58% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 91% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 77% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 90% | 71% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 97% | 88% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 96% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 97% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 90% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 97% of 163 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Barlow Medical Centre is Outstanding, published in January 2019. 3 key questions are rated differently: Safe Good, Caring Good and Effective Good. Its previous overall rating was Good (September 2015).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Outstanding |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Outstanding |
| Effective | Good |
15,884 patients were registered at Barlow Medical Centre in September 2026, down 2.5% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
16% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 8.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,966 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and Greater Manchester's 2,055. The practice also has 3.8 nurses and 6.2 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 8.3 | 13.0 |
| August 2024 | 7.7 | 11.1 |
| August 2025 | 8.6 | 13.9 |
| August 2026 | 8.1 | 12.9 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 5,944 appointments a month, or 374 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 63% were face to face (England: 63%). 54% took place on the day they were booked and 9% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
59% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 7% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Barlow Medical Centre | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 374 | 445 | 510 |
| Face to face | 63% | 66% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 54% | 44% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 9% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 7% | 6% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a lower share of patients for diabetes (4.3% against 7.9%), a learning disability (0.3% against 0.6%) and COPD (1.2% against 1.9%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 12.0 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived). Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 83.0 years for women and 79.7 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 11.9% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 10.0% | 15.2% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 6.0% | 6.6% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 4.3% | 7.9% |
| Cancer | All ages | 3.7% | 3.8% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 3.0% | 4.6% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.0% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.8% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 72.5% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 74.5% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 71.5% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 71.2% | 74.9% |
Barlow Medical Centre, 828 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 2RN. Phone: 0161 445 9000. Website: www.barlowmed.com.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Kingsway Medical Practice | 1.5 km | 77% |
| Heaton Mersey Medical Practice | 1.7 km | 85% |
| Withington Medical Practice | 2.0 km | 88% |
| Gatley Group Practice | 2.2 km | 87% |
| Didsbury Medical Centre | 2.2 km | 87% |
- Didsbury Medical Centre (87% overall experience good)
- Dr Syed Rizvi (76% overall experience good)
- Kingsway Medical Practice (77% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Barlow Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 81% of patients described their overall experience of Barlow Medical Centre as good, against 77% across England. 49% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Barlow Medical Centre?
15,884 patients were registered in September 2026, down 2.5% on a year earlier.
What is Barlow Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Outstanding overall, published in January 2019.
How many GPs does Barlow Medical Centre have?
8.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (15 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,966 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Barlow Medical Centre face to face?
63% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Barlow Medical Centre's phone number?
0161 445 9000.