Townhead Surgery, Settle: patient reviews and CQC rating

Townhead Surgery is a GP practice in Settle with 9,477 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 86% of its patients described their overall experience as good, above the England figure of 77% (West Yorkshire: 76%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in September 2016. It has 6.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 1,388 patients per GP.

Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.

What patients say about Townhead Surgery

Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to contact the practice using the NHS App: 77%, above the England figure of 54%. Its result closest to England is the share who found the reception and administrative team helpful: 87%, against 85% across England. Of the 11 results in the table, 7 are above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 4 within it.

74% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 6 points lower than in 2025 (92%). 114 patients answered the survey (response rate 43%).

Survey questionTownhead SurgeryWest YorkshireEngland
Overall experience good86%76%77%
Easy to contact by phone74%53%57%
Easy to contact via the website71%54%58%
Easy to contact via the NHS App77%52%54%
Reception team helpful87%84%85%
Last contact good78%70%73%
Wait for appointment about right76%70%69%
Listened to well97%87%87%
Treated with care and concern97%85%86%
Confidence and trust in the clinician98%92%93%
Needs met97%90%90%

In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 84% of 68 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).

CQC's overall rating for Townhead Surgery is Good, published in September 2016. All 5 key questions are rated Good.

Key questionRating
SafeGood
Well-ledGood
CaringGood
ResponsiveGood
EffectiveGood

9,477 patients were registered at Townhead Surgery in September 2026, down 2.0% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).

36% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 6.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 1,388 patients per GP, fewer than the England figure of 2,171 and West Yorkshire's 2,162. The practice also has 3.8 nurses and 3.4 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).

YearQualified GPs (FTE)All GPs incl. trainees (FTE)
August 20234.38.3
August 20246.48.1
August 20256.69.4
August 20266.88.4

From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 7,672 appointments a month, or 810 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 60% were face to face (England: 63%). 33% took place on the day they were booked and 3% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).

45% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 2% of booked patients did not attend.

MeasureTownhead SurgeryWest YorkshireEngland
Appointments per 1,000 patients a month810579510
Face to face60%66%63%
Same day as booked33%45%45%
More than 28 days after booking3%7%5%
Did not attend2%4%4%

Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for palliative or supportive care needs (1.3% against 0.6%), peripheral arterial disease (1.3% against 0.6%) and dementia (1.4% against 0.8%). It has a lower share for osteoporosis (0.4% against 1.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 12.8 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).

Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 85.5 years for women and 82.5 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).

Condition registerAge groupPractice (2024/25)England
High blood pressureAll ages23.8%15.2%
Depression18+ yrs12.0%14.3%
Asthma6+ yrs9.4%6.6%
Diabetes17+ yrs8.3%7.9%
Chronic kidney disease18+ yrs8.0%4.6%
CancerAll ages5.8%3.8%
Coronary heart diseaseAll ages4.1%3.0%
Atrial fibrillationAll ages3.8%2.2%
Stroke and TIAAll ages3.1%1.9%
COPDAll ages2.5%1.9%
Heart failureAll ages1.5%1.1%
DementiaAll ages1.4%0.8%
Palliative careAll ages1.3%0.6%
Peripheral arterial diseaseAll ages1.3%0.6%
Rheumatoid arthritis16+ yrs1.0%0.8%
Serious mental illnessAll ages0.9%1.0%
Epilepsy18+ yrs0.9%0.8%
Learning disabilityAll ages0.6%0.6%
Osteoporosis50+ yrs0.4%1.2%
Screening coveragePeriodPracticeEngland
Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74)2024/2581.3%72.9%
Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70)2024/2571.9%72.2%
Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49)2023/2477.4%67.5%
Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64)2023/2480.4%74.9%

59% of the practice's patients live in the BD24 postcode district, followed by BD23 (27%), LA2 (10%) and BB7 (2%). 98% live in North Yorkshire, the council area the practice is in.

Postcode districtRegistered patientsShare
BD245,63059%
BD232,58427%
LA298210%
BB71652%
LA6981%

Townhead Surgery, Townhead, Settle, BD24 9JA. Phone: 01729 822611. Website: www.townheadsurgery.nhs.uk.

Nearby practiceDistanceOverall experience good
Slaidburn Country Practice15.8 km99%
Bentham Medical Practice16.2 km92%
Barnoldswick Medical Centre18.3 km77%
The Pendle Medical Partnership19.3 km59%
Dyneley House Surgery21.1 km79%

How do patients rate Townhead Surgery?

In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 86% of patients described their overall experience of Townhead Surgery as good, above the England figure of 77%. 74% found it easy to get through by phone.

How many patients are registered at Townhead Surgery?

9,477 patients were registered in September 2026, down 2.0% on a year earlier.

What is Townhead Surgery's CQC rating?

Good overall, published in September 2016.

How many GPs does Townhead Surgery have?

6.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (13 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 1,388 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.

Are appointments at Townhead Surgery face to face?

60% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.

What is Townhead Surgery's phone number?

01729 822611.

Cite this page

<a href="https://localgps.co.uk/settle/townhead-surgery">https://localgps.co.uk/settle/townhead-surgery</a>