The Care Quality Commission
  • Doctor
  • GP practice

Stillmoor House Medical Practice

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Bell Lane, Bodmin, Cornwall, PL31 2JJ (01208) 72488

Provided and run by:
Bosvena Health

All Inspections

6 July 2023

During a monthly review of our data

We carried out a review of the data available to us about Stillmoor House Medical Practice 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 Stillmoor House Medical Practice, you can give feedback on this service.

23 February 2022 to 1 March 2022

During a routine inspection

We undertook this inspection at the same time as CQC inspected a range of urgent and emergency care services in Cornwall. To understand the experience of GP Providers and people who use GP services, we asked a range of questions in relation to urgent and emergency care. The responses we received have been used to inform and support system wide feedback.

We carried out an announced inspection at Stillmoor House Medical Practice between 23 February and 1 March 2022. Overall, the practice is rated as good

The ratings for the key questions are:

Safe -Good

Effective - Good

Caring - Good

Responsive - Good

Well-led - Good

Following our previous inspection on 5 January 2016, the practice was rated Good overall and for all key questions.

The full reports for previous inspections can be found by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Stillmoor House Medical Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Why we carried out this inspection

We undertook this inspection at the same time as Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected a range of urgent and emergency care services in Cornwall. To understand the experience of GP Providers and people who use GP services, we asked a range of questions in relation to urgent and emergency care. The responses we received have been used to inform and support system-wide feedback.

This inspection was a focused inspection:

Key questions covered were:

Safe

Effective

Well-led

Ratings for the Caring and Responsive key questions were carried forward from the previous inspection.

How we carried out the inspection

Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account 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:

  • Conducting staff interviews using video conferencing
  • Completing clinical searches on the practice’s patient records system and discussing findings with the provider
  • Reviewing patient records to identify issues and clarify actions taken by the provider
  • Requesting evidence from the provider
  • A short site visit
  • Staff surveys

Our findings

We based our judgement of the quality of care at this service on a combination of:

  • what we found when we inspected
  • information from our ongoing monitoring of data about services and
  • information from the provider, patients, the public and other organisations.

We have rated this practice as good overall

We found that:

  • The practice provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
  • Actions from health and safety risk assessments had been completed.
  • Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
  • There were systems and processes in place to review and monitor patients appropriately.
  • Staff dealt with 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-centre care.

Whilst we found no breaches of regulations, the provider should:

  • Review the protocol in use for when patients could not be contacted to make sure all actions needed were detailed.
  • Continue with work on improving performance, such as cervical screening uptake and the action plan developed to address the delays in undertaking reviews and monitoring of patients’ conditions.
  • Continue with plans to provide staff with appropriate training and appraisals, in particular training on gaining consent and providing positive feedback to staff on their performance. Review process to see if time can be protected more effectively for staff to complete mandatory training.

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

5 January 2016

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced focused inspection at Stillmoor House Medical Practice on 5 January 2016. This was to review the actions taken by the provider as a result of our issuing two legal requirements.

Overall the practice has been rated as GOOD following our findings.

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

  • The provider had protected patients against the risks associated with unsafe use and management of medicines by means of making the appropriate arrangements for the safe keeping of medicines. This included the servicing of refrigerators used to store medicines, calibration of thermometers and use of additional digital thermometers to record internal temperatures for continued monitoring.
  • Effective systems to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of patients and others had been implemented. These included the involvement of relevant staff in the discussion and learning from significant event analysis. Records showed subsequent actions were taken and how or with whom any learning was shared.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

3 February 2015

During a routine inspection

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We inspected Stillmoor House Medical Practice on 3 February 2015. This was a comprehensive inspection. 

Overall the practice is rated as good. Specifically we found the practice to be good for providing effective, responsive, caring and well led services, but improvements are required for providing safe services.  It was good for providing care for all the population groups: older people; people with long term conditions; families, children and young people; people experiencing poor mental health, people in vulnerable circumstances; working age people and those recently retired. 

There are seven GP partners, who work the equivalent of five full time GPs. The practice provides primary medical services to around 10,500 patients who live in Bodmin and the surrounding villages in Cornwall. The practice provides services to a diverse population age group and is based in the town centre. The practice has a dispensary attached.

Our key findings were as follows:

  • Patients felt they were treated with dignity and respect and in a professional manner that showed kindness and care towards them.
  • Some patients reported difficulties in seeing the practitioner of their choice. During this visit staff were seen helping patients to access GPs, and explaining the appointment system.
  • Good systems were in place to maintain a clean and hygienic service.
  • GPs and nurses kept up to date with professional guidance on treatment of disease and management of long term conditions.
  • The practice operated a college based service in the town offering lunchtime appointments to pupils aged 13-19 years at the college. These appointments were with either a GP or practice nurse and offered counselling, contraception, lifestyle advice, as well as routine medical care. Patients did not have to be registered with the practice to use this service. The drop in clinic was provided by this practice two days per week, and by another practice in the town on another two days.
  • The local community team had instigated a ‘Single Point of Access’ for all referrals by patients with mental health problems including access to urgent care on the day, using e-mail to the duty community psychiatric nurse team for assessment. The practice found this was a useful system for obtaining good outcomes for patients.

There were areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

Importantly, the provider must:

  • Monitor the significant events that are reported, as well as any complaints received, ensure that appropriate staff are included in the discussion and that any learning and subsequent action to be taken in response is recorded and shared with the team.
  • Ensure that fridges used to store medicines are reliable and the medicines are stored at correct temperatures at all times.

In addition the provider should:

  • Review the policy and procedures for updating patients' medicine records after discharge from hospital, and for repeat prescribing.
  • Maintain a record of checks made when employing locum staff, and maintain on-going records of GP validations, nurse registration and staff training.
  • Introduce a system for identifying informal carers, assessing their needs and signposting them to support.
  • Introduce a system to ensure that staff have read and understood policies and procedures.

Professor Steve Field (CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP) 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

21 October 2013

During a routine inspection

We visited Stillmoor House Medical Practice. We spoke with 10 patients who were visiting the surgery. All of the patients told us they were very happy with the service they received. Comments included, 'they're good doctors', 'they make you feel welcome and that you are not wasting their time' and 'they are good'.

When we asked patients about whether it was easy to get an appointment, comments were variable; some patients told us that it was, whilst others told us that it was not. We were told by some patients that if they wanted to see their own GP they may have to wait two or three weeks for an appointment.

As part of our inspection, we spoke with the registered manager, the practice manager, the deputy practice manager, reception team, GP's, pharmaceutical dispensing staff, nursing staff and a representative from the patient participation group (PPG).

We found, people's views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive. The provider also had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service and others.