Harden Blakenall Medical Centre, Walsall: patient reviews and CQC rating
Harden Blakenall Medical Centre is a GP practice in Walsall with 11,871 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 71% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Black Country: 74%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in October 2022. It has 5.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,051 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Harden Blakenall Medical Centre
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 62%, against 57% across England. Its weakest is the share who said the wait for their last appointment was about right: 61%, against 69% across England. With 96 responses, none of its 11 results differs from England by more than the survey's margin of error.
On overall experience it is 32nd of the 40 practices in Walsall with 50 or more responses. 62% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 10 points higher than in 2025 (61%). 96 patients answered the survey (response rate 15%).
| Survey question | Harden Blakenall Medical Centre | Black Country | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 71% | 74% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 62% | 53% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 58% | 54% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 53% | 54% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 78% | 81% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 70% | 68% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 61% | 65% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 84% | 85% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 87% | 84% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 92% | 92% | 93% |
| Needs met | 93% | 89% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 81% of 186 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for Harden Blakenall Medical Centre is Good, published in October 2022. One key question is rated differently: Responsive Requires Improvement. Its previous overall rating was Requires Improvement (September 2021).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
11,871 patients were registered at Harden Blakenall Medical Centre in September 2026, down 2.2% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
12% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 5.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,051 patients per GP, close to the England figure of 2,171 and Black Country's 2,193. The practice also has 2.5 nurses and 4.0 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| August 2024 | 4.2 | 5.3 |
| August 2025 | 4.9 | 9.2 |
| August 2026 | 5.8 | 9.6 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 11,998 appointments a month, or 1,011 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 87% were face to face (England: 63%). 63% took place on the day they were booked and 1% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
58% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 4% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Harden Blakenall Medical Centre | Black Country | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 1,011 | 561 | 510 |
| Face to face | 87% | 64% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 63% | 51% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 1% | 4% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 4% | 5% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for dementia (1.4% against 0.8%), palliative or supportive care needs (0.9% against 0.6%) and COPD (2.9% against 1.9%). It has a lower share for cancer (2.6% against 3.8%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 47.9 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 77.8 years for women and 75.2 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 19.2% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 12.3% | 15.2% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 9.7% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 4.6% | 4.6% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.3% | 3.0% |
| COPD | All ages | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| Cancer | All ages | 2.6% | 3.8% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.6% | 1.2% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 1.1% | 1.0% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 53.4% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 47.2% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 65.3% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 61.1% | 74.9% |
Harden Blakenall Medical Centre, The Blakenall Village Centre, 79 Thames Road, Walsall, WS3 1LZ. Phone: 01922 927220.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Dr's P L & S Kaul and Dr G K Gill | 0.7 km | 79% |
| Bloxwich Medical Practice | 1.0 km | 91% |
| St Mary's Surgery | 1.0 km | 86% |
| Dr Amanullah Shamsher Khan | 1.0 km | 90% |
| Pinfold Medical | 1.0 km | 72% |
- Birchills Health Centre (89% overall experience good)
- Bloxwich Medical Practice (91% overall experience good)
- Dr Amanullah Shamsher Khan (90% overall experience good)
- Dr N Pillai and Dr L Nair (80% overall experience good)
- Dr's P L & S Kaul and Dr G K Gill (79% overall experience good)
- Lower Farm Health Centre (74% overall experience good)
- Mossley Fields Surgery (76% overall experience good)
- Pinfold Medical (72% overall experience good)
- St Mary's Surgery (86% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Harden Blakenall Medical Centre?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 71% of patients described their overall experience of Harden Blakenall Medical Centre as good, against 77% across England. 62% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Harden Blakenall Medical Centre?
11,871 patients were registered in September 2026, down 2.2% on a year earlier.
What is Harden Blakenall Medical Centre's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in October 2022.
How many GPs does Harden Blakenall Medical Centre have?
5.8 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (9 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,051 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Harden Blakenall Medical Centre face to face?
87% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Harden Blakenall Medical Centre's phone number?
01922 927220.