Irchester Surgery, Wellingborough: patient reviews and CQC rating
Irchester Surgery is a GP practice in Wellingborough with 4,024 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 72% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Northamptonshire: 74%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Good overall, in a report published in May 2019. It has 1.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,579 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about Irchester Surgery
Its best result against England is the share who found it easy to get through to the practice by phone: 68%, above the England figure of 57%. Its weakest is the share who described their overall experience of the practice as good: 72%, against 77% across England. Of the 11 results in the table, 1 is above England and 0 below by more than the survey's margin of error, and 10 within it.
On overall experience it is 6th of the 9 practices in Wellingborough with 50 or more responses. 68% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 8 points higher than in 2025 (64%). 113 patients answered the survey (response rate 29%).
| Survey question | Irchester Surgery | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 72% | 74% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 68% | 51% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 62% | 56% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 54% | 52% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 84% | 83% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 71% | 70% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 70% | 71% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 86% | 85% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 84% | 85% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 93% | 91% | 93% |
| Needs met | 92% | 90% | 90% |
CQC's overall rating for Irchester Surgery is Good, published in May 2019. One key question is rated differently: Responsive Requires Improvement. It held the same rating in the report before (January 2019).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Good |
| Well-led | Good |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Requires Improvement |
| Effective | Good |
4,024 patients were registered at Irchester Surgery in September 2026, down 0.7% on a year earlier (England: down 1.1%).
24% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 1.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,579 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Northamptonshire's 2,413. The practice also has 1.5 nurses and 0.5 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| August 2024 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| August 2025 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| August 2026 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 2,820 appointments a month, or 701 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 63% were face to face (England: 63%). 50% took place on the day they were booked and 10% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
31% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 3% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | Irchester Surgery | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 701 | 531 | 510 |
| Face to face | 63% | 59% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 50% | 46% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 10% | 5% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for COPD (3.6% against 1.9%), diabetes (10.1% against 7.9%) and high blood pressure (18.6% against 15.2%). It has a lower share for chronic kidney disease (2.1% against 4.6%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 15.7 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 84.6 years for women and 79.9 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure | All ages | 18.6% | 15.2% |
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 16.1% | 14.3% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 10.1% | 7.9% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 4.5% | 3.8% |
| COPD | All ages | 3.6% | 1.9% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 3.2% | 3.0% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 2.1% | 4.6% |
| Dementia | All ages | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 70.6% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 79.1% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 66.7% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 74.3% | 74.9% |
Irchester Surgery, 37 School Road, Irchester, Wellingborough, NN29 7AW. Phone: 01933 413888. Website: www.irchestersurgery.co.uk/.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Abbey Medical Practice | 2.8 km | 79% |
| Rushden Medical Centre | 2.9 km | 30% |
| Dr Barber and Partners | 3.4 km | 80% |
| Albany House Medical Centre | 4.1 km | 68% |
| Harborough Field Surgery | 4.4 km | 71% |
- Abbey Medical Practice (79% overall experience good)
- Albany House Medical Centre (68% overall experience good)
- Queensway Medical Centre (79% overall experience good)
- Summerlee Medical Centre (83% overall experience good)
- The Redwell Medical Centre (52% overall experience good)
How do patients rate Irchester Surgery?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 72% of patients described their overall experience of Irchester Surgery as good, against 77% across England. 68% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at Irchester Surgery?
4,024 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.7% on a year earlier.
What is Irchester Surgery's CQC rating?
Good overall, published in May 2019.
How many GPs does Irchester Surgery have?
1.6 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (2 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,579 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at Irchester Surgery face to face?
63% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is Irchester Surgery's phone number?
01933 413888.