THE Blackdown Practice in Hemyock has received an ‘Outstanding’ rating following an inspection for the quality of care it offers.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who visited the GP surgery in June rated care at the practice ‘Outstanding’ for being caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led, and ‘Good’ for being safe and effective.

Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of General Practice, said: “I am delighted to highlight the exceptional service at The Blackdown Practice – people are entitled to services which provide safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care. The GPs and staff have demonstrated a real commitment to their patients. All of this hard work and dedication pays off in making a real difference for their patients – which is why we have found the practice to be Outstanding. I hope other practices will see this service as a model for excellent care.”

Ruth Rankine, deputy chief inspector of General Practice in the South Region, said: “The Blackdown Practice is providing an exceptional service with high quality integrated care and treatment with an emphasis on good health and well-being. This service is a real asset to the people living in Blackdown Hills.

“The practice was dedicated to delivering compassionate and responsive care, and worked closely with the local community to plan how services could better meet patients’ needs. There was a clear vision to provide care that they themselves would like to receive. This is a great example of what outstanding care looks like.”

Julia Cory, head of Primary Care for NHS England in the South West, said: “This is a great acknowledgment of the hard work at The Blackdown Practice, which champions integrated health and social care in the local community. The practice successfully introduced the role of Practice Community Matron, which has provided vulnerable patients with greater preventative care and support. The outstanding rating reflects their commitment to continually look for innovative ways to provide the best care for their patients.”

The report highlights a number of areas of outstanding practice, including:

The practice was dedicated to delivering compassionate and responsive care to patients, particularly those with long-term conditions and older people who were frail and at risk of social isolation.

People said care exceeded their expectations. There was a commitment to deliver co-ordinated care with other organisations and the local community to meet people’s needs.

The practice pro-actively identified carers and worked with Devon Carers, a voluntary organisation to run monthly advice and support drop in session.

There was a strong community approach – three GPs at the practice were founding members of a patient-focused charity based within the building that supported 300 patients each year. Patients could access many types of support from the charity, including information, transport assistance support and social activities for vulnerable patients living in the community.