The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Beacon Medical Centre

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Sedemuda Road, Sidmouth, EX10 9YA (01395) 512601

Provided and run by:
Sid Valley Practice

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 24 June 2026. Beacon Medical Centre is a GP practice and delivers services to approximately 14,900 people under a contract held with NHS England. There is also a branch site at Victoria Hospital Sidmouth. We did not visit the branch site during this assessment. According to the latest available data, the ethnic make-up of the service area is approximately 97% White, 1% Asian, 1% Mixed, 1% Black and Other. The service had a higher proportion of older people and a lower proportion of children and young people, when compared with the national averages. Information published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows deprivation within the service population group is in the 9th decile (9 of 10). The lower the decile, the more deprived the service population is relative to others.

This was a focused assessment. We undertook this assessment due to the length of time since our last assessment. We assessed 10 quality statements from across all 5 key questions. This assessment considered the demographics of the people using the service, the context the service was working within and how this impacted service delivery. Where relevant, further commentary is provided in the quality statements section of this report.

SAFE - Staff kept facilities clean and maintained equipment appropriately to ensure people were kept safe. They assessed and managed the risk of infection well and took steps to control the risk of it spreading. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience.

EFFECTIVE - Staff supported people to live healthier lives, monitoring their care and treatment to ensure they received positive and consistent outcomes.

CARING - Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity.

RESPONSIVE - People could access care, treatment and support when they needed it. Leaders and staff were alert to discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage groups of people who used the service and sought ways to address any barriers.

WELL-LED - The service had a clear vision and strategy, which considered the needs of the people who used their service and the wider community. Staff understood their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders accounted for the actions, behaviours and performance of staff through clear and effective governance processes.

11 April 2017

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Beacon Medical Centre on 11 April 2017. Overall the practice is rated as good with requires improvement in the well led domain..

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:

  • There was an open and transparent approach to safety and a system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
  • The practice had clearly defined and embedded systems to minimise risks to patient safety.
  • Staff were aware of current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills and knowledge to deliver effective care and treatment. Staff were encouraged and actively supported to develop their roles.
  • There were GPs with a special interest (GPwSI) in dermatology and orthopaedics which meant patients could receive specialist treatment at the practice.
  • The practice employed a pharmacist one day a week who performed roles to assist the GPs at the practice. These roles included patient medicine reviews and audit.
  • Results from the in house patient survey showed patients were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
  • Information about services and how to complain was not readily available in written format and difficult to access online. However, improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
  • Patients we spoke with said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
  • Patients said they appreciated the minor injury service provided by the practice.
  • The main practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs. This included a designated operating theatre where carpel tunnel surgery and skin cancer surgery was performed. The GPs were in discussions with NHS estates regarding the development and upgrade of the branch site as they recognised improvements were required.
  • There were age appropriate toys and books in the waiting room and an interactive flooring area that was popular with children.
  • Recruitment was well managed and detailed systems were efficiently used to monitor staff recruitment and employment issues.
  • The prescriptions team at the practice worked closely with the local pharmacies to ensure blister packs were provided for older people with memory problems.
  • One of the GPs was a dementia champion and used their knowledge and experience to make early diagnosis and referrals as necessary.
  • One of the GPs sits as a trustee on a voluntary basis at the local Memory Café and personally led the work to secure an Admiral Nurse for the town, now in place. (Admiral Nurses are specialist dementia nurses who give expert practical, clinical and emotional support to families living with dementia). Staff at the practice supported fundraising for this service.
  • There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
  • The provider was aware of the requirements of the duty of candour. Examples we reviewed showed the practice complied with these requirements.
  • The practice were proactive in the care of patients with dementia. One of the GPs was a dementia champion and had used their knowledge and experience to make early diagnosis and referrals as necessary. 79.1% of patients diagnosed with dementia who had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which was better than the national average (30-75%). Another GP had acted as a trustee on a voluntary basis at the local Memory Café and supported fundraising to secure an Admiral Nurse for the town, now in place.

The areas where the provider should make improvement are:

  • Review systems and records so they reflect the discussions and actions taken to ensure staff who do not attend the significant event meetings are fully aware of learning and outcomes.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice