Ashford Rural PCN

Patients aged 65 and over represent 29.0% of the PCN, exceeding all comparators

Across 40,682 registered patients, 29.0% (11,804 patients) are aged 65+, notably above Ashford (20.9%), the ICB (19.9%) and England (17.9%). Working-age adults (18–64) comprise 53.7% and children (0–17) 17.3%. Population growth is projected at 6.7% to 2030, compared to 6.4% in Ashford, 6.0% in the ICB and 2.3% in England, though projection methods are unverified. Census resident estimates show 93.7% White and 2.5% Asian or Asian British residents, alongside 0.7% Gypsy or Irish Traveller residents (Ashford 0.5%, ICB 0.3%, England 0.1%). Registered ethnicity and observation periods were not captured.

Core20 deprivation is 6.0% overall and concentrates entirely in two practices

Ashford Rural PCN's Core20 share is 6.0%, below Ashford (11.5%), the ICB (17.1%) and England (21.0%), with an average IMD decile of 5.1 (England 5.5). Practice estimates total 2,496 registered patients, differing from the 2,622 resident estimate. Deprivation concentrates entirely across two practices: Hamstreet Surgery has the highest share at 14.2% (1,134 patients), while Charing Surgery has the largest volume with 1,362 patients (12.1%), against 0.0% at Woodchurch Surgery and Ivy Court Surgery. Targeting these two practices reaches the PCN's entire identified Core20 population.

PLUS groups and inclusion health

The PCN records 241 learning disability patients (0.6% crude prevalence; Ashford 0.5%, the ICB 0.6%, England 0.6%) and 307 severe mental illness patients (0.8%; Ashford 0.9%, the ICB 0.9%, England 1.0%). Catchment mapping shows 29 care homes with 569 beds.

Severe mental illness: physical health checks

Severe mental illness prevalence is 0.8% (England 1.0%). Blood pressure checks reach 86.4% (England 83.4%) and BMI recording reaches 82.4% (England 82.1%), while blood pressure checks rose 2.3 pp over 2023 to 2025 (England +4.4 pp).

Clinical focus: hypertension and lipids

Hypertension case-finding and control

Ashford Rural PCN records 8,249 patients on its hypertension register, a 20.4% prevalence compared to 16.0% in Ashford, 16.2% in the ICB and 15.2% in England. Blood pressure recording is 89.9% (England 90.0%). However, hypertension patients treated to target fell 6.0% over 2023 to 2025 (England +3.6%) to 69.7%. This trajectory is consistent with under-80s blood pressure control falling 9.8% (England +3.2%) to 64.3%. Lower control may reflect clinical titration delays or personalised care adjustment patterns, though unverified locally. Blood pressure control has fallen behind national benchmarks despite high check coverage, indicating that treatment titration and review recall should be prioritised.

Lipids and statins

Patients with QRISK ≥ 20% on lipid-lowering therapy reach 56.8%, below Ashford (60.8%), the ICB (61.4%) and England (63.6%). For chronic kidney disease, coverage is 67.1% (England 70.3%). Lower uptake across cardiovascular risk registers highlights potential scope to review primary-prevention recall.

Cardiovascular drugs averaged £3.96 per item in 2025 across 145,034 items (£574,335 spend), £91,371 more than at England's unit cost. For lipid-modifying drugs, unit cost was £1.48 across 90,991 items (£134,667 spend), £30,937 less than at England's unit cost. Prescribing cost differentials reflect unit-cost differences rather than efficiency, though formulary mix could be examined locally.

Clinical focus: respiratory, cancer register and children

Respiratory

COPD prevalence is 2.1% (860 patients) with 81.4% reviewed annually (England 76.4%). Conversely, asthma prevalence is 7.1% (2,724 patients), but annual reviews fell 0.1% over 2023 to 2025 (England +4.4%) to 65.7%, leaving about 930 patients unreviewed. Second-hand smoke recording for asthma patients aged 6 to 19 is 71.3% (206 patients), below England (78.8%), while asthma drug prescribing reaches 1,642 items per 1,000 aged 5-19 (England 1,488). Review stalls and higher prescribing could indicate follow-up gaps that local recall audits could test.

Cancer register and children's immunisation

Cancer register prevalence is 5.8% (2,342 patients; England 3.8%). In Q1 2025/26, 6-in-1 uptake at 12 months reached 95.2% (England 91.0%). However, 24-month MMR1 uptake was 88.0%, below the 95% target by 7 pp (England 88.3%). At age 5, MMR1 reached 96.6% but MMR2 fell to 92.0%, a 4.6 pp dose difference. Catching unimmunised toddlers before school entry would help close early childhood protection gaps.

Early cancer diagnosis

In 2022, 55.6% of cancers with a known stage (4,661 of 8,384) in NHS Kent and Medway ICB were diagnosed at stage 1 or 2, in line with England (55.3%) but 19.4 pp below the 75.0% national ambition. Reaching 75.0% would require 1,627 extra early-stage diagnoses annually across the ICB. Data completeness is also constrained: only 63.6% of registered cancers (8,384 of 13,189) had a recorded stage, trailing England (67.0%). These system-level figures do not reflect PCN performance. While PCN cervical screening (78.1%) and breast screening (77.7%) exceed national benchmarks, vigilance across primary care referral pathways remains essential.

Cancer waits, diagnostics and community services

Cancer waits and diagnostics, Jul 2026 (provisional)

In July 2026, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust achieved 70.0% on the 62-day cancer standard (85.0% standard), trailing Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (87.4%), the ICB (75.9%) and England (71.2%), but exceeding East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (67.0%). On 28-day faster diagnosis, East Kent reached 71.3% (75.0% standard), trailing East Sussex (84.2%), Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (81.8%), England (79.3%) and the ICB (76.8%). Patients waiting 6+ weeks for diagnostics reached 63.0% for non-obstetric ultrasound, 47.6% for magnetic resonance imaging, and 37.4% for computed tomography (England 19.6%, 21.4%, 9.9%). These trust figures do not reflect PCN performance.

GPPS phone access spans 44.0 pp and QOF vaccination achievement varies by 43.6 pp

In 2025/26, QOF overall achievement ranged from 89.2% at Ivy Court Surgery to 94.9% at Woodchurch Surgery. Vaccination and immunisation achievement diverged by 43.6 pp, from 28.2% at Ivy Court Surgery to 71.8% at Woodchurch Surgery (England 55.2%). Captured clinical achievement reached 96.4% at Hamstreet Surgery and 100.0% at Charing Surgery.

Sixteen measures trail national three-year trends, led by slipping blood pressure control

Over 2023 to 2025, 16 of 25 compared measures trailed England's three-year trend. Cardiovascular control slipped most: under-80 blood pressure control fell 9.8% (Ashford -5.3%, ICB +2.2%, England +3.2%), and hypertension treated to target fell 6.0% (Ashford -3.9%, ICB +1.4%, England +3.6%). Asthma reviews fell 0.1% (Ashford +2.7%, ICB +1.1%, England +4.4%), and heart failure reviews rose 7.3% (Ashford +55.2%, ICB +8.5%, England +8.7%). In contrast, breast screening rose 16.6% over 2023 to 2024 (Ashford +16.3%, ICB +11.8%, England +8.4%), and cervical screening rose 3.0% (Ashford +1.2%, ICB +0.5%, England -1.0%).

What the data can't tell us: gaps and local assets

Options for the PCN

Each option in full

Provenance and audit trail

Figures are the profile's, drawn from Coplug indicator tables: census, deprivation and QOF measures, MHCLG, Rough sleeping snapshot in England: autumn 2025, OHID, Fingertips diabetes by frailty status: HbA1c control (93712, 93713) and OHID, Fingertips falls: emergency admissions, 65+ and 65 to 79 (22401, 22402), accidental-fall deaths (94002). Every recommended action and option is the profile's own; the evidence-base statements that support them — what each register is the cohort for, and the national policy it serves — are quoted from Coplug's indicator catalogue. No recommendation in this report is authored outside the profile and that catalogue. ICB- and provider-level data (page 8) describes the system the PCN sits in and is not read as PCN performance.

Data sources

Every figure in this profile comes from a dataset below, at the level and period stated. Nothing published above PCN level is read as PCN performance.

Methods, data-quality notes and limitations