Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0Across Darlington, life expectancy spans 11 years from one area to another
Inside the town, men’s life expectancy runs from 72.2 in Bank Top to 83.2 in Hummersknott, 2 miles apart. Life expectancy is 77.3 for men and 81.4 for women. England as a whole stood at 79.1 and 83.0 over 2019 to 2023. Darlington grades C− for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, early deaths, hospital admissions, child obesity and Census health, each adjusted for age; #17 of 52 in County Durham.
What stands out about health in Darlington
An 11-year gap from one part of Darlington to another
Men in Hummersknott can expect to live to 83.2, longer than the English average of 79.1. In Bank Top, 2 miles away, the figure is 72.2, and Bank Top records 198 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected for its ages. For women the range is 76.2 in Bank Top to 90.9 in Harrowgate Hill. Neighbourhoods ↓
More of Darlington’s children are obese
23% of Year 6 children (aged 10 to 11) were measured as obese over the last three school years, against 22.3% across England; more than in 80% of UK towns. Health Grade ↓
Patients rate Darlington’s GP practices above England’s
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 86% of patients at Darlington’s 9 practices called their overall experience good, against 77% across England, and 67% found it easy to get through by phone (57% in England). That is ahead of 76% of English towns. GP practices ↓
Written from the OHID, NHS England and GP Patient Survey figures on this page. Life expectancy covers 2019 to 2023; neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas of about 8,000 people.
Darlington grades C− for health
Healthier than 15% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
Behind the typical UK town on every measure. Even its strongest, disability and Census bad health, are in the bottom 30% of UK towns; deaths under 75 and preventable deaths are furthest behind. Among the 84 UK towns of 65,000 to 126,000 people, Darlington’s Health Grade is the 47th highest.
Each measure is ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, the ranks are averaged, and the average is ranked again. Every measure allows for the town’s ages: life expectancy is worked out from the death rate at each age, so it doesn’t depend on how old the town’s residents are; deaths and admissions are counted against what England’s rates would give a town with these ages, and the Census answers against England and Wales’s rates by single year of age, so a seaside town of retired people isn’t marked down for being old.
Men’s life expectancy across Darlington runs from 72.2 to 83.2
Life expectancy at birth, 2019–23, in Darlington’s 13 middle-layer neighbourhoods (about 8,000 people each). Circles are sized by residents and show men’s life expectancy.
The gap follows deprivation closely: Bank Top, where 39% of residents are income-deprived, has men’s life expectancy of 72.2. Bank Top has the most deaths under 75 for its ages (198 per 100 expected), against 63 in Hummersknott.
Show every measure as a table
| Neighbourhood | Men | Women | Deaths under 75 | Emergency admissions | Year 6 obese | Income-deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hummersknott | 83.2 | 84.7 | 63 | 74 | 15% | 4.7% |
| Faverdale, Heighington & Sadberge | 82.3 | 86.0 | 73 | 84 | 17% | 13% |
| College & Park West | 81.5 | 84.0 | 85 | 91 | 16% | 8.5% |
| Harrowgate Hill | 80.9 | 90.9 | 80 | 111 | 26% | 18% |
| Whinfield | 79.3 | 82.8 | 80 | 102 | 23% | 17% |
| Haughton Le Skerne | 78.9 | 78.0 | 134 | 122 | 23% | 30% |
| Cockerton & Hopetown | 78.6 | 81.2 | 124 | 119 | 24% | 30% |
| Albert Hill & Red Hall | 76.3 | 79.0 | 155 | 133 | 28% | 36% |
| Firthmoor | 75.9 | 80.2 | 148 | 123 | 29% | 34% |
| Park East | 74.5 | 82.4 | 159 | 127 | 28% | 36% |
| Central Darlington & Pierremont | 72.8 | 79.5 | 175 | — | 24% | 36% |
| Rise Carr | 72.7 | 77.5 | 176 | 130 | 21% | 37% |
| Bank Top | 72.2 | 76.2 | 198 | 139 | 29% | 39% |
Deaths and admissions per 100 expected for each area’s ages (England = 100). Each figure has a range: Bank Top’s men’s life expectancy is 72.2 with a 95% range of 70.3 to 74.2. Neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas at least 30% inside Darlington; names are the House of Commons Library’s.
86% of patients rate Darlington’s 9 GP practices good
GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos), about 100 patients a practice, against 77% across England. 2nd of 79 English towns of 65,000 to 126,000, from the highest.
| Practice | Overall experience | Easy by phone | Wait about right | CQC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard Court DL3 6HZ · 6,996 adult patients | 96% good · range 84%–99% | 86% | 64% | Outstanding2015 |
| Blacketts Medical Practice DL3 7JR · 9,254 adult patients | 89% good · range 74%–96% | 93% | 89% | Good2019 |
| Denmark Street Surgery DL3 0PD · 12,154 adult patients | 87% good · range 67%–96% | 53% | 69% | Good2016 |
| Parkgate Medical Practice DL1 5LW · 3,925 adult patients | 86% good · range 81%–90% | 77% | 89% | Good2018 |
| Whinfield Medical Practice DL1 3RT · 9,903 adult patients | 85% good · range 69%–93% | 51% | 66% | Good2019 |
| Carmel Medical Practice DL3 8SQ · 9,776 adult patients | 84% good · range 73%–91% | 60% | 60% | Good2025 |
| Neasham Road Surgery DL1 4YL · 10,484 adult patients | 83% good · range 68%–92% | 75% | 69% | Good2020 |
| Moorlands Surgery DL3 9JP · 11,062 adult patients | 83% good · range 69%–91% | 52% | 70% | Good2019 |
| Clifton Court Medical Practice DL1 5JN · 9,905 adult patients | 83% good · range 64%–93% | 75% | 77% | Good2026 |
Orchard Court has the town’s highest rating (96%). You can register with any practice whose area covers your address.
GP Patient Survey 2026: surveys sent January to March 2026; results weighted by NHS England. The range is the 95% confidence interval. Adult patients: the survey’s practice population aged 16 and over. A practice counts as in Darlington when its main surgery is inside the built-up area; branch surgeries are part of their main practice. CQC ratings © Care Quality Commission.
Men’s life expectancy in Darlington is 0.7 years below what its level of deprivation predicts
Across 1,996 English towns of 2,500 or more, men’s life expectancy tracks income deprivation closely (correlation −0.81). Each dot is a town.
27% of Darlington’s residents are income-deprived, more than in most English towns. For that level, the line predicts 78.0 years for men; Darlington’s is 77.3. For women it predicts 82.1, and Darlington’s 81.4 is 0.6 years below.
Income deprivation: share of residents in low-income households, English Indices of Deprivation 2025, averaged over each town’s neighbourhoods. A town above or below the line isn’t necessarily doing better or worse on care: students, prisons and hostels inside a boundary all shift the figures.
Care in and near Darlington
The nearest A&E, the practice patients rate highest, and where to go when it’s urgent but not an emergency. In an emergency, call 999.
County Durham and Darlington saw 58% of major-A&E patients within four hours
Type 1 (major) A&E attendances seen, admitted or discharged within four hours of arrival, by month. NHS England publishes it by trust, not hospital: County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust runs the A&E at Darlington Memorial Hospital, the nearest to Darlington (0.4 mi).
The share seen within four hours slipped from an average of 62% in April 2025 to September 2025 to 58% in the latest six months; England’s was 62%. Long waits for a bed are rarer than at 90% of trusts: 349 patients in 12 months, 0.7% of emergency admissions through A&E. CQC’s latest ratings for Darlington Memorial Hospital: urgent and emergency services good (2025), the hospital overall good (2026).
North East and Yorkshire trusts
Hospitals within 25 miles
| Distance | Hospital | CQC overall | Urgent & emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.4 mi | Darlington Memorial Hospital A&E Darlington · County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | Good2026 | Good2025 |
| 9 mi | University Hospital of North Tees A&E Stockton On Tees · North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2022 | Good2018 |
| 14 mi | The James Cook University Hospital A&E Middlesbrough · South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Good2024 | Good2023 |
| 14 mi | Friarage Hospital Northallerton · South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Good2024 | — |
| 18 mi | University Hospital of Hartlepool Hartlepool · North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2022 | — |
| 18 mi | Peterlee Community Hospital Peterlee · County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 18 mi | University Hospital North Durham A&E Durham · County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | Good2026 | Good2025 |
NHS acute hospitals registered with the Care Quality Commission (care directory, 01 October 2026). “A&E” marks a major (type 1) emergency department, open 24 hours and led by consultants, in NHS England’s Emergency Care Data Set; a hospital without the mark may still have a minor injury unit or urgent treatment centre. Ratings run Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate; the year is when each was published. Distances are straight lines from the town centre.
77% of adults in the North East and North Cumbria area who tried got an NHS dental appointment
Adults who tried to get an NHS dental appointment for themselves in the last two years, and got one. GP Patient Survey 2026, by integrated care system (the NHS area that plans dentistry for Darlington).
Across England 82% of those who tried got an appointment. Of North East and North Cumbria patients who did, 71% rated the experience good (England 74%). NHS practices taking new patients are listed on the NHS website’s Find a dentist; for urgent dental pain, call NHS 111.
The survey asks GP patients about dentistry, so results are published for health areas, not towns or practices.
79% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 113 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Darlington | County Durham | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 77% | 82% |
| Fair health | 15% | 15% | 13% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.2% | 7.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 20% | 22% | 17% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 8.8% | 10% | 7.4% |
County Durham and England: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Darlington’s Health Grade is 47th of 84 UK towns of 65,000 to 126,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Darlington, and others in County Durham. Life expectancy for men / women; deaths under 75 per 100 expected.
| # | Town | People | Life expectancy | Deaths under 75 | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Albans Hertfordshire | 75,544 | 80.7 / 84.6 | 79 | A− |
| 2 | Maidenhead Berkshire | 67,391 | 81.2 / 85.5 | 77 | B+ |
| 3 | Guildford Surrey | 77,870 | 81.4 / 85.5 | 78 | B+ |
| … | |||||
| 45 | Bury Greater Manchester | 81,115 | 76.8 / 80.9 | 132 | C− |
| 46 | Craigavon Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | 72,301 | 78.4 / 82.7 | — | C− |
| 47 | Darlington County Durham | 93,022 | 77.3 / 81.4 | 131 | C− |
| 48 | Ellesmere Port Cheshire | 65,425 | 77.5 / 82.4 | 120 | C− |
| 49 | Burton upon Trent Staffordshire | 76,264 | 77.0 / 81.1 | 129 | D |
| … | |||||
| 73 | Stockton-on-Tees County Durham | 84,824 | 76.1 / 79.6 | 144 | D |
| … | |||||
| 75 | Hartlepool County Durham | 88,001 | 76.1 / 80.3 | 139 | D |
| … | |||||
| 84 | Oldham Greater Manchester | 110,722 | 74.0 / 78.2 | 166 | D− |
Health letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only. Welsh towns are graded on life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and the two Census measures: OHID’s early-death, admissions and child-obesity figures cover England.
Health in the places around Darlington
Life expectancy for men / women, and the nearest A&E. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Life expectancy | Nearest A&E | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington | 93,022 | 77.3 / 81.4 | 0.4 mi | C− |
| Hurworth-on-Tees | 2,667 | 79.7 / 82.9 | 3.3 mi | B− |
| Middleton St George | 4,756 | 79.7 / 82.9 | 4.1 mi | B− |
| Heighington | 1,548 | 82.3 / 86.0 | 4.9 mi | A− |
| School Aycliffe | 1,590 | 80.7 / 84.8 | 5.5 mi | B− |
| Newton Aycliffe | 25,760 | 77.2 / 80.4 | 6.5 mi | D |
| Gainford | 1,127 | 78.1 / 85.5 | 7 mi | C+ |
| Stillington | 1,407 | 81.6 / 86.4 | 3.3 mi | B |
Heighington, 5 miles away, has men’s life expectancy of 82.3, 5.0 years longer than Darlington’s.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- A&E figures are for the trust. NHS England publishes four-hour waits by trust, not hospital, so County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust’s figures cover every major A&E it runs. They count type 1 (major) departments; minor injury units and urgent treatment centres are left out, which is why they sit below the all-types figure NHS England headlines (75% for England).
- The GP survey is a survey. About 100 patients answer for each practice, so a practice’s figure has a range (shown in the table); small differences between practices aren’t meaningful. The town figure weights each practice by its adult patients, some of whom live outside Darlington.
- Adjusted for age. A ratio of 100 means as many deaths, admissions or reports of bad health as England’s rates (England and Wales’s for the Census) would give a town with these ages; 120 means a fifth more.
- Small areas, summed to the town. OHID publishes these figures for middle-layer areas of about 8,000 people; the town’s figure averages the areas it covers, weighted by how many of their residents live in it, so a village shares its area’s figure with the countryside around it.
- Different years. Life expectancy and deaths cover 2019 to 2023; emergency admissions 2016/17 to 2020/21 (the latest OHID publishes for small areas, including the pandemic dip); child obesity the three school years to 2024/25; A&E the 12 months to September 2026; the GP Patient Survey early 2026; CQC ratings were published on different dates, shown in each row.
- Distances are straight lines. Miles are measured from the town’s centre to each site; the road is longer. For an emergency, call 999; for urgent advice, call NHS 111.
Questions about health in Darlington
How healthy is Darlington?
Darlington earns a C− for health, healthier than 15% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 47th of 84 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 77.3 for men and 81.4 for women (England 79.1 and 83.0), and there are 131 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected.
Which parts of Darlington have the highest life expectancy?
For men, Hummersknott (83.2), Faverdale, Heighington & Sadberge (82.3) and College & Park West (81.5); the shortest is Bank Top (72.2). For women, Harrowgate Hill is highest (90.9) and Bank Top lowest (76.2). OHID figures for 2019 to 2023, by neighbourhood of about 8,000 people.
How long are A&E waits at Darlington Memorial Hospital?
NHS England publishes waits for the trust, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. In the 12 months to September 2026 it saw 58% of major-A&E patients within four hours, against 61% across England; in September 2026 the figure was 59%. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
Can I get an NHS dentist in Darlington?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 77% of adults in the North East and North Cumbria area who tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years got one, against 82% across England. Practices taking new NHS patients are listed on the NHS website’s Find a dentist service.
Which GP practice in Darlington do patients rate highest?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, Orchard Court (96% good overall), Blacketts Medical Practice (89% good overall) and Denmark Street Surgery (87% good overall). Across all 9 Darlington practices, 86% of patients rate their practice good, against 77% in England.
What is the life expectancy in Darlington?
77.3 years for men and 81.4 for women, on OHID’s figures for 2019 to 2023. Men can expect 62.1 of those years and women 63.7 in good health.
CQC ratings © Care Quality Commission.
Sources: OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (life expectancy and deaths 2019–23, emergency admissions 2016/17–2020/21, NCMP 2022/23–2024/25); House of Commons Library MSOA names · ONS health state life expectancy for small areas (MSOAs), England and Wales, 2019 to 2023 (healthy life expectancy) · ONS Census 2021 general health and disability, adjusted for age · Care Quality Commission care directory and latest ratings, 01 October 2026 · NHS Organisation Data Service · GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos) · NHS England, A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions (monthly, by trust) and Emergency Care Data Set activity by site, June–September 2026 (type 1 A&Es) · MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025 · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.