Devon’s GP practices have been praised for the high quality of care they provide to patients, following findings in a national report.
The Care Quality Commission’s assessment of England’s practices says that the county has 21 practices rated as ‘outstanding’ and 123 that are ‘good’. None are rated as ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’.
This means that 14.6 percent of Devon’s practices are ‘outstanding’, which is far above the 4 percent national average.
Mark Procter, joint director of primary care for South Devon & Torbay and NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “This is a tremendous achievement by our practices and their staff.
“In a county as big as Devon, and with practices experiencing increasing levels of pressure, to all classed as either ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’ is a credit to their hard work, planning and expertise.
“The practices are extremely conscientious in how they approach their work, ensuring that their patients receive the best care possible in these challenging times.
“They are constantly looking at new innovative ways of working, striving to find a way to meet patients’ demands in an ever-changing society.
“Of course, patients play a big part in practices’ success by giving helpful feedback and being sympathetic when their GPs are under pressure.
“Devon’s practices are very forward-thinking, and they will now strive to maintain these high standards into the future.”
In its national report on the efficiency of general practice, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) singled out Kingskerswell and Ipplepen Medical Practice for praise, commending its hardworking and professional employees.
The CQC’s specialist inspections look at whether practices are safe, caring, effective, responsive and well led.
Practices rated as ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ are re-inspected at intervals of up to five years, while those rated as ‘inadequate’ and ‘requires improvement’ are re-inspected after six months and 12 months respectively.
