by Alan Quick

A LOCAL GP surgery has reason to celebrate after it was rated “Outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission.

Bow Medical Practice not only received the overall “Outstanding” recognition but also secured a “good” rating for its service at North Tawton Medical Practice, just a year after saving it from closure.

The Care Quality Commission rated the quality of care provided by Dr AMJ Bower and Partners at the practice at Iter Cross, “Outstanding” following an inspection in November.

Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all of England’s GP practices are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

The inspection team included a GP and a practice manager as specialist advisors.

They said that the practice was outstanding in four of the five areas graded by the CQC, effectiveness, care, responsiveness and leadership and gave it a good rating for safety.

The surgery serves more than 2,696 patients.

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

The practice provides truly holistic patient centred care. Many examples were seen demonstrating that patients were treated with dignity and received compassionate care. Carers and patients verified that GPs went above and beyond what was expected of them, for example providing 24 hour/seven-day telephone access and support for vulnerable patients receiving end of life care.

The leadership at the practice inspired a shared purpose, which was aimed at providing patient services closer to home. A GP held qualifications enabling them to provide acupuncture to patients for pain relief. Another GP was supervising a community healthcare worker with a post graduate qualification so that they would be able to provide additional treatments, such as steroid injections, which would normally be carried out at the hospital.

Garry Higgins, Head of GP Inspection for the South, said: “We found that Bow Medical Practice is providing an effective and responsive service which is a real asset to the people living in this part Devon.

“Feedback from patients was excellent and staff made every effort to fully involve people in decisions about their care and treatment.

“The practice demonstrated a comprehensive approach in managing the differing needs of their patients, proactively gathering feedback, and reflected these needs when planning and delivering services.

“This is an example of what outstanding care looks like.”

Michelle Freeburn, managing partner for both Bow and North Tawton practices, said: “There are very few outstanding practices.

“Only three per cent of practices inspected are currently rated as outstanding so we are very very proud of what we have achieved at Bow Medical Practice.

“To get four out of five areas rated as outstanding is quite significant.

“Some practices get two or three so to get four is something we are very proud of. We are absolutenly delighted overall.

“It is testimony to the professionalism and dedication of the whole practice team.

“As for North Tawton, we started running it last April and to achieve good in every single area is something we are really happy with,

“We were not sure how things would be when we took over and there was considerable building work to be done to make the practice fit for purpose, so we are really pleased with the result.

“We hope the outcome demonstrates the commitment to the North Tawton community that we have and the report demonstrates the areas we have improved since we took over at North Tawton. It is another report we are very pleased with.”