Fairfax Group Practice, Manchester: patient reviews and CQC rating
Fairfax Group Practice is a GP practice in Manchester with 14,181 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 73% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Greater Manchester: 79%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in February 2017. It has 7.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,930 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Fairfax Group Practice
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 found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 26%, below the England figure of 58%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 3 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 8 within it.
On overall experience it is 111th of the 149 practices in Manchester with 50 or more responses. 52% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 4 points lower than in 2025 (77%). 125 patients answered the survey (response rate 31%).
| Survey question | Fairfax Group Practice | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 73% | 79% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 52% | 63% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 26% | 61% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 43% | 58% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 85% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 74% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 77% | 71% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 81% | 88% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 78% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 95% | 93% | 93% |
| Needs met | 90% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 94% of 472 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Fairfax Group Practice is Good, published in February 2017. All 5 key questions are rated Good. Its previous overall rating was Requires Improvement (June 2016).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Good |
14,181 patients were registered at Fairfax Group Practice in September 2026, almost the same as a year earlier.
16% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 7.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,930 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and Greater Manchester's 2,055. The practice also has 1.9 nurses and 2.5 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 3.7 | 8.0 |
| August 2024 | 6.4 | 10.5 |
| August 2025 | 6.6 | 12.2 |
| August 2026 | 7.3 | 10.4 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 5,228 appointments a month, or 369 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 74% were face to face (England: 63%). 59% took place on the day they were booked and 0% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
67% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 4% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Fairfax Group Practice | Greater Manchester | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 369 | 445 | 510 |
| Face to face | 74% | 66% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 59% | 44% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 0% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 4% | 6% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for depression (19.9% against 14.3%). It has a lower share for palliative or supportive care needs (0.2% against 0.6%) and COPD (1.3% against 1.9%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 20.2 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 82.2 years for women and 77.9 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 19.9% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 14.3% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 7.0% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 4.5% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 3.5% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.5% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.8% | 1.9% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.3% | 1.9% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.3% | 1.0% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.7% | 0.8% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 71.5% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 74.6% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 75.2% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 76.9% | 74.9% |
Fairfax Group Practice, Prestwich Health Centre, Fairfax Road, Prestwich, Manchester, M25 1BT. Phone: 0161 773 2483. Website: www.fairfaxgrouppractice.nhs.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Longfield Medical Practice | 0.0 km | 67% |
| Dr Laurence Howard Sherman | 0.6 km | 77% |
| BARDOC - The Birches Medical Centre | 1.0 km | 90% |
| Whittaker Lane Medical Centre | 1.2 km | 59% |
| The Uplands Medical Practice | 1.8 km | 72% |
- BARDOC - The Birches Medical Centre (90% overall experience good)
- Dr Laurence Howard Sherman (77% overall experience good)
- Longfield Medical Practice (67% overall experience good)
- St Gabriel's Medical Centre (68% overall experience good)
- Whittaker Lane Medical Centre (59% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Fairfax Group Practice?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 73% of patients described their overall experience of Fairfax Group Practice as good, against 77% across England. 52% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Fairfax Group Practice?
14,181 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.1% on a year earlier.
What is Fairfax Group Practice's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in February 2017.
How many GPs does Fairfax Group Practice have?
7.3 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (9 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,930 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Fairfax Group Practice face to face?
74% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Fairfax Group Practice's phone number?
0161 773 2483.