Sandy Lane Surgery, Rugeley: patient reviews and CQC rating
Sandy Lane Surgery is a GP practice in Rugeley with 8,841 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 77% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent: 80%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Requires Improvement overall, in a report published in September 2023. It has 4.5 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,943 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Sandy Lane Surgery
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 63%, against 54% across England. Its weakest is the share who found it easy to contact the practice through its website: 53%, against 58% across England. With 101 responses, none of its 11 results differs from England by more than the survey's margin of error.
On overall experience it is 4th of the 4 practices in Rugeley with 50 or more responses. 61% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 7 points higher than in 2025 (70%). 101 patients answered the survey (response rate 22%).
| Survey question | Sandy Lane Surgery | Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 77% | 80% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 61% | 63% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 53% | 59% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 63% | 61% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 85% | 86% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 76% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 65% | 75% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 91% | 87% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 90% | 87% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 93% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 94% | 90% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 93% of 423 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Sandy Lane Surgery is Requires Improvement, published in September 2023. 3 key questions are rated differently: Well-led Good, Caring Good and Effective Good. It held the same rating in the report before (June 2022).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Requires Improvement |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
8,841 patients were registered at Sandy Lane Surgery in September 2026, down 3.1% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
22% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 4.5 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,943 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent's 2,252. The practice also has 2.6 nurses and 4.3 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| August 2024 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| August 2025 | 3.9 | 5.0 |
| August 2026 | 4.5 | 5.2 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 4,729 appointments a month, or 535 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 81% were face to face (England: 63%). 35% took place on the day they were booked and 1% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
46% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 4% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Sandy Lane Surgery | Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 535 | 479 | 510 |
| Face to face | 81% | 66% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 35% | 48% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 1% | 3% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for palliative or supportive care needs (1.8% against 0.6%), dementia (1.6% against 0.8%) and epilepsy (1.4% against 0.8%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.2% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 18.2 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 82.7 years for women and 78.9 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 18.3% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 17.2% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 9.2% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.6% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 5.2% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.6% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 4.3% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 3.1% | 2.2% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 1.8% | 0.6% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.6% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.2% | 1.2% |
| 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 | 71.8% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 73.8% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 74.7% | 74.9% |
Sandy Lane Surgery, Sandy Lane, Rugeley, WS15 2LB. Phone: 01889 572057. Website: www.sandylanesurgery.org.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Aelfgar Surgery | 0.8 km | 95% |
| Brereton Surgery | 1.3 km | 94% |
| Hillsprings Health and Wellbeing Centre | 1.4 km | 88% |
| Rawnsley Surgery | 5.7 km | 74% |
| Hednesford Medical Practice | 6.7 km | 81% |
- Aelfgar Surgery (95% overall experience good)
- Brereton Surgery (94% overall experience good)
- Hazeldene House Surgery (74% overall experience good)
- Hillsprings Health and Wellbeing Centre (88% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Sandy Lane Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 77% of patients described their overall experience of Sandy Lane Surgery as good, against 77% across England. 61% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Sandy Lane Surgery?
8,841 patients were registered in September 2026, down 3.1% on a year earlier.
What is Sandy Lane Surgery's CQC rating?
Requires Improvement overall, published in September 2023.
How many GPs does Sandy Lane Surgery have?
4.5 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (8 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,943 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Sandy Lane Surgery face to face?
81% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Sandy Lane Surgery's phone number?
01889 572057.