The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated Exmoor Medical Centre in Dulverton, Somerset, outstanding overall, following an inspection in April.
The practice serves a rural community over an area of 300 square miles across Devon and Somerset.
This was the first inspection of the service under a new provider, Symphony Healthcare Services, run by Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Following the inspection, the service is rated outstanding overall and outstanding for being well-led and responsive to people’s needs. It is rated good for being safe, effective and caring.
Neil Cox, CQC’s head of inspection for primary medical services, said:
“When we inspected Exmoor Medical Centre, we found an exceptionally well-run service led by a strong leadership team.
"The new provider, Symphony Healthcare Services, took over the running of the service at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and immediately set about adapting the service to ensure it could continue to provide safe care to people. As a part of the West Somerset Primary Care Network, a dedicated rural hub was created to continue to support the local farming community and those who were socially isolated.
“Leaders are focused on promoting an environment of continuous learning and innovation, as well as sharing best practice with other providers. The whole team deserves to be congratulated for achieving a rating of outstanding overall, especially given the challenges that all healthcare providers have faced during the last couple of years.”
Inspectors found the following during this inspection:
- The practice was able to demonstrate it had continued to learn, innovate and redesign services to meet new challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
- The practice championed quality initiatives and took all opportunities for learning. It was committed to engaging with other providers to highlight and share best practice
- Audit processes were embedded within the practice and used to drive improvements in the service and enable it to respond to the needs of the registered patient population
- The service planned and managed the discharge or transfer of patients to other services, or into their own home, well and adapted to meet each individual’s circumstances or preferences
- The practice had a truly holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to the people who use the service
- The change process associated with the integration of Symphony Healthcare Services as the new provider was handled sensitively with the support and commitment of the practice team, and without any interruption to continuity at the practice
- The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm. Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs with staff responding to patients with kindness and respect and involving them in decisions about their care.