We carried out a review of the data available to us about Exmoor Medical Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Exmoor Medical Centre, you can give feedback on this service.
We carried out an announced inspection at Exmoor Medical Centre on 28 April 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as outstanding.
At our previous CQC inspection in June 2018, the practice was rated good overall. It was rated good in the safe, caring, responsive and well-led questions and outstanding in the effective domain. We also rated the care of people with long term conditions and those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable as outstanding.
The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Exmoor Medical Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk
Why we carried out this inspection
This inspection was a comprehensive inspection to review the standard of care since being taken over by a new provider.
How we carried out the inspection
Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, considering the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently.
This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.
This included:
Our findings
We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:
We have rated this practice as Outstanding overall
We found that:
The practice was able to demonstrate that they had continued to learn and innovate since the last inspection and through the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a commitment to engage with other providers to highlight and share best practice.
The practice had built on the areas identified through audits and innovative data collection to respond to the needs of their registered population. There was flexibility to redesign services to meet new challenges. The practice championed quality initiatives and all opportunities for learning.
Audit processes were embedded within the practice and we saw how this drove service improvements and patient safety. There was strong leadership with the clinical lead and staff engaging in external networks and using this as a basis to foster an environment of continuous learning and innovation.
A well-developed holistic approach to planning a patient’s, discharge or transfer to other services or into their own home, which included the use of a rapid response multi-disciplinary team helps meet an individual’s circumstances or preferences.
A truly holistic approach to assessing, planning and delivering care and treatment to the people who use the service with the creation of the rural hub for the farming community and those who are socially isolated.
The change process associated with the integration of Symphony Healthcare Services had been 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 involved them in decisions about their care.
The practice adjusted how it delivered services to meet the needs of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
The way the practice was led and managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centered care.
We found no breaches of regulation.
Details of our findings and the evidence supporting our ratings are set out in the evidence tables.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care