The Carnewater Practice was inspected on Wednesday 10 May 2017. This was a comprehensive inspection.

The practice is situated in the town of Bodmin in Cornwall and they provide a general medical service to 11,400 patients. The practice covers a catchment area of 200 square miles of Bodmin Moor, and surrounding villages. The area spans from the outskirts of Launceston to the east, Roche in the west, Sladesbridge and St Tudy in the north, and Lerryn and Lostwithiel in the south. There is a branch surgery that opens every day in Lewannick near Launceston.

The practices population area is in the fourth decile for deprivation, which is on a scale of one to ten. The lower the decile the more deprived an area is compared to the national average. The practice population ethnic profile is predominantly White British. The average male life expectancy for the practice area is 79 years which is the same as the national average of 79 years; female life expectancy is 82 years which is slightly lower than the national average of 83 years.

There are four GP partners, two male and two female, and three salaried GPs providing 5.7 whole time equivalents each week. The practice manager is also a partner of the practice. The partners hold managerial and financial responsibility for running the business. The team are supported by two nurse practitioners, five practice nurses, a healthcare assistant, a phlebotomist (a person trained to take blood) and additional administration and reception staff. The practice also has a dispensary overseen by a dispensary manager.

The practice is a training and teaching practice for student nurses and GPs in training, foundation doctors and medical students.

Patients who use the practice have access to community staff including district nurses, community psychiatric nurses, health visitors, physiotherapists, mental health staff, counsellors, chiropodists and midwives who are co-located in the practice.

The practice reception is open between 8am and 6:30pm Monday to Friday. Booked appointments are offered between 8am and 6:30pm. The practice offers a range of appointment types including book on the day, telephone consultations and advance appointments. Extended hours are offered on two Saturday mornings a month between 8am and 11am. These are for pre-booked appointments only.

Outside of these times, by contractual arrangement, patients are directed to telephone the NHS 111 number for assistance.

Carnewater provided regulated activities from its main site at The Health Centre, Dennison Road, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 2LB and the branch site at Landry House, Lewannick, PL15 7QD. During our inspection we visited the main site at Bodmin. We did not visit the branch location.