The Elms Medical Centre, Rochester: patient reviews and CQC rating
The Elms Medical Centre is a GP practice in Rochester with 12,579 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 69% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Kent and Medway: 73%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in January 2023. It has 3.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 3,494 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about The Elms Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 59%, against 54% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 23%, below the England figure of 57%. Of the 11 results in the table, 0 are above England and 4 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 7 within it.
On overall experience it is 3rd of the 11 practices in Rochester with 50 or more responses. 23% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 18 points higher than in 2025 (51%). 98 patients answered the survey (response rate 28%).
| Survey question | The Elms Medical Centre | Kent and Medway | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 69% | 73% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 23% | 48% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 54% | 52% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 59% | 50% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 75% | 82% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 63% | 67% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 56% | 65% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 89% | 85% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 85% | 84% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 94% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 90% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 82% of 198 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for The Elms Medical Centre is Requires Improvement, published in January 2023. 2 key questions are rated differently: Caring Good and Responsive Good. Its previous overall rating was Good (September 2017).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Requires Improvement |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Good |
| Effective | Requires Improvement |
12,579 patients were registered at The Elms Medical Centre in September 2026, almost the same as a year earlier.
23% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 3.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 3,494 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Kent and Medway's 2,419. The practice also has 3.9 nurses and 7.5 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
| August 2024 | 3.3 | 6.9 |
| August 2025 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| August 2026 | 3.6 | 5.7 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 3,938 appointments a month, or 313 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 53% were face to face (England: 63%). 15% took place on the day they were booked and 8% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
35% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 7% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | The Elms Medical Centre | Kent and Medway | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 313 | 457 | 510 |
| Face to face | 53% | 62% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 15% | 41% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 8% | 7% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 7% | 5% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for chronic kidney disease (7.5% against 4.6%), diabetes (10.6% against 7.9%) and COPD (2.4% against 1.9%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.4% against 1.2%), a learning disability (0.3% against 0.6%) and peripheral arterial disease (0.3% against 0.6%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 23.5 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 84.5 years for women and 77.8 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 18.8% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 17.8% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 10.6% | 7.9% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 7.5% | 4.6% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.0% | 6.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.5% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.1% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.4% | 2.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.4% | 1.2% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 72.6% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 73.5% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 73.0% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 68.4% | 74.9% |
99% of the practice's patients live in the ME3 postcode district. 100% live in Medway, the council area the practice is in.
| Postcode district | Registered patients | Share |
|---|---|---|
| ME3 | 12,364 | 99% |
The Elms Medical Centre, Tilley Close, Main Road, Hoo St Werburgh, Rochester, ME3 9AE. Phone: 01634 250142. Website: www.elmsmedicalkent.nhs.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| St Werburgh Medical Practice | 0.5 km | 56% |
| The Halfway Surgery | 2.0 km | 73% |
| Princes Park Medical Centre | 2.9 km | 54% |
| The Glebe Family Practice | 4.2 km | 90% |
| Dr Prathap Jana | 4.3 km | 85% |
- Cliffe Woods Surgery (54% overall experience good)
- The Thorndike Surgery (43% overall experience good)
How do patients rate The Elms Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 69% of patients described their overall experience of The Elms Medical Centre as good, against 77% across England. 23% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at The Elms Medical Centre?
12,579 patients were registered in September 2026, up 0.2% on a year earlier.
What is The Elms Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in January 2023.
How many GPs does The Elms Medical Centre have?
3.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (4 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 3,494 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at The Elms Medical Centre face to face?
53% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is The Elms Medical Centre's phone number?
01634 250142.