Seaton and Colyton Medical Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last assessment, we rated this key question as good. At this assessment, the rating remains the same.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality, human rights, diversity, inclusion and engagement. Staff and leaders understood the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

All staff had contributed to the development of the service’s vision and strategy, which was kept under review. Leaders monitored and reviewed progress against the delivery of their strategy during annual business meetings.

The service was aware of local challenges which affected their service. For example, the service identified the local needs for minor injuries service. The service applied and obtained the minor injuries unit status in December 2025 and secured funding to convert part of the office space into a clinical room. The paramedic and an advanced nurse practitioner completed the relevant courses to prepare for the launch of minor injuries service.

Staff and leaders actively promoted equality and diversity and worked to identify the causes of any workforce inequalities. They demonstrated a positive and compassionate listening culture that focused on learning and development.

The leaders worked collaboratively with neighbouring GP practices, with regular manager meetings and protected learning days to share best practice and learn from each other to bring about improvement to services. For example, to cope with the higher number of incoming calls in the mornings, the service contracted an external remote telephone answering service to help with answering calls to shorten the call queuing time. The service monitored their performance and reviewed their quality to ensure it is up to standard.

Leaders led effectively and were open to staff feedback. The service had an anonymous staff suggestion box which the leaders reviewed, responded and published the decisions and actions for improvement and transparency.

There was an emphasis on staff wellbeing. The service gave examples of how improvement in staff pay, staff benefits and employment packages resulted in higher retention rate and reducing the sickness rate after these measures were implemented.

We did not look at Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Freedom to speak up during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

All staff we spoke with were clear on their individual roles and responsibilities. Leaders proactively supported staff and regularly met with them to complete appraisals and performance reviews. The provider had established governance processes in relation to the quality statements we reviewed during this assessment, which were appropriate for their service.

Staff could access all required policies and procedures, which were kept up to date and reflected latest guidance. Leaders held regular meetings with staff, during which they discussed emerging risks and potential improvements to the service. Leaders clearly recorded any actions that arose from these meetings and shared these with staff.

Staff took people who used the services confidentiality and information security seriously. Staff submitted data and notifications to external agencies as required.

We did not look at Partnerships and communities during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

We did not look at Learning, improvement and innovation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.