Reports · CQC sector reports · Oct 2026
The State of Primary Care in England
An analysis of 6,143 NHS GP practices, 2,658 private and other doctor services, and 12,084 dental practices registered with CQC in England.
The numbers
8,801 locations are registered with the CQC as doctors or GPs (aesthetic clinics excluded). 6,143 carry an NHS practice code and are NHS general practices. The other 2,658 are private GPs, online doctors, occupational health and urgent care. They behave very differently, so this report separates them. A further 12,084 dental practices are registered, and the CQC does not rate them.
NHS practices are rated, but the ratings are old. 5,933 (96.6%) hold one, and almost all are Good or Outstanding: 4.1% fall below Good. 3,716 practices (60%) have not been inspected or assessed in five years, or ever. The median wait is 7.3 years.
NHS practices last seen 5+ years ago
3,527 of 6,143; 189 have never been inspected or assessed.
Of rated practices below Good
243 of 5,933: 232 Requires improvement and 11 Inadequate.
Rated dental practices
Of 12,084 dental locations. The CQC does not routinely rate dentists.
How they are rated
- Outstanding278 · 4.7%
- Good5,412 · 91.2%
- Requires improvement232 · 3.9%
- Inadequate11 · 0.2%
When they were last seen
- Never inspected or assessed189 · 3.1%
- 5 or more years ago3,527 · 57.4%
- 3 to 5 years ago751 · 12.2%
- 2 to 3 years ago459 · 7.5%
- Within 2 years1,217 · 19.8%
Key findings
Three in ten doctor locations are not NHS general practice
2,658 of 8,801 doctor locations have no NHS practice code. Findings below are for the 6,143 NHS practices unless stated.
NHS practices are rated, but the ratings are old
96.6% hold a rating. 57.4% were last inspected or assessed more than five years ago; 2,566 have waited eight years or more.
Ratings are almost uniformly Good
5,412 of 5,933 rated practices (91.2%) are Good and 278 Outstanding. 4.1% are below Good and 11 are Inadequate.
Most Outstanding ratings date from years ago
76.6% of the 278 Outstanding practices were last inspected or assessed more than five years ago.
The assessment model is harsher
8.5% of practices rated under assessment are below Good, against 2.6% under inspection.
Inspection gaps vary widely
In Gloucestershire, 84.1% of practices have not been seen in five years or ever; in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, 30.8%.
Private doctor services are multiplying, and most are unseen
63% of the 2,658 non-NHS locations have never been inspected or assessed, and 35% are in London, against 18% of NHS practices.
Dentists carry no rating at all
4 of 12,084 dental locations hold a rating. 41% have never been inspected.
Figures are Bridgehead’s analysis of the CQC’s published register and ratings, as at 6 November 2026. Below Good means a rating of Requires improvement or Inadequate. Services that have closed are excluded. The full report sets out the method, the regional and council tables and the sources.
The series
The same data, cut by sector
- The State of Care Homes in England40% of care homes not inspected in five years, or ever
- The State of Home Care in England62% of home care agencies not inspected in five years, or ever
- The State of Aesthetic Clinics in England67% of aesthetic clinics not inspected in five years, or ever
The State of Adult Social Care in England covers every adult social care service together, and the sector reports index compares the four side by side.
From the same team
Software and clinical frameworks for care providers
bamboo: care marketing software
bamboo builds campaigns from a home's CQC profile, ranks it against comparable homes nearby each week and gathers its reviews in one place. It is our own software, free to start.
Headland Care Consulting: condition-specific care frameworks
Headland designs consultant-led, condition-specific care frameworks for UK care homes. It was founded by Dr Sheel Mehta and William Walter, and is a separate venture from Bridgehead.
Keep exploring
More research and services
Healthcare PR
Earned media that moves healthcare audiences.
The State of Care Homes in England
Published Oct 2026.
MedTech Index
UK medical technology companies, their coverage and their social reach.
Reports
Rankings, indices and sector research.
Speak with us
One conversation tells you
if we're the right fit.
Thirty minutes with a partner. We'll tell you whether we can help, what the work would look like, and what it's likely to cost, before either of us commits to anything.
