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 Islington (100), Newcastle upon Tyne (100) and Nottingham (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.
| # | Area | Nation | Score | Cost of living | Safety | Weather | Broadband |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1 | Islington | England | 100 | 0 | 28 | 72 | 94 |
| =1 | Newcastle upon Tyne | England | 100 | 58 | 34 | 78 | 94 |
| =1 | Nottingham | England | 100 | 70 | 31 | 81 | 97 |
| =1 | Sheffield | England | 100 | 75 | 34 | 65 | 93 |
| 5 | Brighton | England | 99 | 23 | 30 | 89 | 88 |
| =6 | Cardiff | Wales | 97 | 61 | 31 | 62 | 95 |
| =6 | Reading | England | 97 | 37 | 37 | 72 | 97 |
| 8 | Derby | England | 96 | 79 | 35 | 81 | 98 |
| 9 | Cambridge | England | 95 | 23 | 40 | 78 | 95 |
| 10 | Leeds | England | 94 | 63 | 32 | 64 | 95 |
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
Showing only areas measured on all twelve categories. 412 otherwise-eligible areas are hidden because at least one category has no data - most often crime, which Greater Manchester Police do not publish at street level. Show all areas.
Best in Scotland
Best in England
Best in Wales
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 Islington (100/100), Newcastle upon Tyne (100/100), Nottingham (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
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.
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.