TrackPostcode.UK

Rankings

Places in the UK with the best healthcare access

A proximity measure, not a quality one: how far you would travel, not how long you would wait.

In short

UK areas are ranked here on how close healthcare facilities are to each point - GP surgeries, pharmacies and dentists within about two kilometres and hospitals within about eight - counted from OpenStreetMap. The current top three are Newcastle upon Tyne (100), Nottingham (100) and Sheffield (100).

  • Healthcare category: OpenStreetMap counts of GPs, pharmacies and dentists within about 2 km and hospitals within about 8 km, weighting everyday access most heavily.
  • Ranked from 539 indexed UK areas, rebuilt daily from the latest published figures.
  • Every area links to a full report with the source behind each figure.

Compiled by the TrackPostcode.UK data team Data last updated How we score every area Data sources

Newcastle upon Tyne100Nottingham100Sheffield100Ealing100Hackney100Islington100London100Aberdeen100Edinburgh100Brighton99
Places in the UK with the best healthcare access: the top ten, drawn from the same figures as the table below.
Top ten compared across the categories that most often change the answer
#AreaNationScoreCost of livingSafetyWeatherBroadband
=1Newcastle upon TyneEngland10058347894
=1NottinghamEngland10070318197
=1SheffieldEngland10075346593
=1EalingEngland1008417294
=1HackneyEngland1000297294
=1IslingtonEngland1000277294
=1LondonEngland1000207287
=1AberdeenScotland1007940—93
=1EdinburghScotland1004636—93
10BrightonEngland9923308988

Category scores are 0 to 100 and a dash means that dataset has not loaded for the area yet, in which case it is excluded from the overall score rather than guessed at. Open any area for the full report and its sources.

Places in the UK with the best healthcare access: the full ranking

Areas are ranked on whatever categories they have, with the weights renormalised over them, so an area with a gap is scored on its own remaining evidence. Show only areas measured on all twelve categories to compare like with like.

=1Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne, North East, England · 100% complete100=1NottinghamNottingham, East Midlands, England · 100% complete100=1SheffieldSheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 100% complete100=1EalingEaling, London, England · 95% complete100=1HackneyHackney, London, England · 95% complete100=1IslingtonIslington, London, England · 95% complete100=1LondonWestminster, London, England · 95% complete100=1AberdeenAberdeen City, Scotland · 90% complete100=1EdinburghCity of Edinburgh, Scotland · 90% complete100=10BrightonBrighton and Hove, South East, England · 100% complete99=10WandsworthWandsworth, London, England · 95% complete99=10BristolBristol, City of, South West, England · 85% complete99=10ManchesterManchester, North West, England · 80% complete99=14WalthamstowWaltham Forest, London, England · 95% complete98=14NorwichNorwich, East of England, England · 90% complete98=16CardiffCardiff, Wales · 100% complete97=16ReadingReading, South East, England · 100% complete97=18DerbyDerby, East Midlands, England · 100% complete96=18GreenwichGreenwich, London, England · 95% complete96=18LewishamLewisham, London, England · 95% complete96=18BirminghamBirmingham, West Midlands, England · 90% complete96=22CambridgeCambridge, East of England, England · 100% complete95=22TwickenhamRichmond upon Thames, London, England · 95% complete95=24LeedsLeeds, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 100% complete94=24WimbledonMerton, London, England · 95% complete94=24NorthamptonWest Northamptonshire, East Midlands, England · 90% complete94=24YorkYork, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 90% complete94=28LeicesterLeicester, East Midlands, England · 100% complete93=28Royal Leamington SpaWarwick, West Midlands, England · 90% complete9330PlymouthPlymouth, South West, England · 85% complete92=31HarrowHarrow, London, England · 95% complete91=31LutonLuton, East of England, England · 90% complete91=33GatesheadGateshead, North East, England · 95% complete90=33OldhamOldham, North West, England · 85% complete90=33WalsallWalsall, West Midlands, England · 85% complete90=36BarkingBarking and Dagenham, London, England · 100% complete89=36DundeeDundee City, Scotland · 100% complete89=36BarnsleyBarnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber, England · 95% complete89=36ChathamMedway, South East, England · 85% complete89=36SmethwickSandwell, West Midlands, England · 85% complete89=41NewportNewport, Wales · 100% complete88=41Whitley BayNorth Tyneside, North East, England · 100% complete88=41BathBath and North East Somerset, South West, England · 90% complete88=41GlasgowGlasgow City, Scotland · 90% complete88=41SwindonSwindon, South West, England · 90% complete88=46CroydonCroydon, London, England · 100% complete87=46Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames, London, England · 100% complete87=48OxfordOxford, South East, England · 95% complete86=48RochesterMedway, South East, England · 85% complete86=48StockportStockport, North West, England · 80% complete86

Best in Scotland

=1AberdeenAberdeen City, Scotland100=1EdinburghCity of Edinburgh, Scotland1003DundeeDundee City, Scotland894GlasgowGlasgow City, Scotland885PerthPerth and Kinross, Scotland806FalkirkFalkirk, Scotland727InvernessHighland, Scotland70=8AyrSouth Ayrshire, Scotland60=8RenfrewRenfrewshire, Scotland6010LivingstonWest Lothian, Scotland57

Best in England

=1Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne, North East, England100=1NottinghamNottingham, East Midlands, England100=1SheffieldSheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber, England100=1EalingEaling, London, England100=1HackneyHackney, London, England100=1IslingtonIslington, London, England100=1LondonWestminster, London, England100=8BrightonBrighton and Hove, South East, England99=8WandsworthWandsworth, London, England99=8BristolBristol, City of, South West, England99

Best in Wales

1CardiffCardiff, Wales972NewportNewport, Wales883BarryVale of Glamorgan, Wales764LlanelliCarmarthenshire, Wales695SwanseaSwansea, Wales656BridgendBridgend, Wales637WrexhamWrexham, Wales618CarmarthenCarmarthenshire, Wales589Old CwmbranTorfaen, Wales5310RhylDenbighshire, Wales52

Ranked from 539 indexed areas by TrackPostcode.UK scores. Coverage grows as more areas are indexed.

About this ranking

How is healthcare access scored?

By counting facilities near each point from OpenStreetMap: GP surgeries, pharmacies and dentists within about two kilometres, and hospitals within about eight. Everyday access - a nearby GP and pharmacy - carries the most weight, on a diminishing-returns curve. The measurement is point-level, so it reflects a specific location rather than a council average. Right now the highest are Newcastle upon Tyne (100/100), Nottingham (100/100), Sheffield (100/100).

Does this reflect NHS waiting times or quality of care?

No, and it should not be read as though it does. It measures distance to services and nothing else. Waiting times, patient outcomes and inspection ratings are published separately by NHS England, Public Health Scotland, the NHS Wales Executive and the relevant inspectorates, and none of them are in this score.

Does a nearby surgery mean I could register there?

Not necessarily. Practices set their own catchment boundaries and can close their lists when they are full, so proximity and availability are different questions. Contact the practice directly before assuming a nearby surgery is open to you.

Every ranking

Best places to liveBest places for remote workersBest places for familiesBest places for studentsBest places for retirementBest places under £200,000Most affordable placesCheapest places to liveSafest placesSunniest placesBest weatherFastest broadbandCleanest airBest places for jobsBest transport linksMost to do

The same index ordered by a different measurement each time, from the same twelve category scores and rebuilt daily. Each one states on its own page what it measures and what it does not.

Read next: the best places to live in the UK, the most affordable places to live, the safest places to live, the sunniest places in the UK, the relocation quiz and how every score is built.

What this ranking measures: Healthcare category: OpenStreetMap counts of GPs, pharmacies and dentists within about 2 km and hospitals within about 8 km, weighting everyday access most heavily. Read the full methodology before quoting a figure.

Primary source: OpenStreetMap. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.