Health inspectors have praised Sidmouth’s Beacon Medical Centre for its care of older patients as part of a ‘good’ Care Quality Commission (CQC) report.

The doctors’ surgery was rated ‘good’ across the board with one area of ‘outstanding’ by the chief inspector of general practice when he visited in April.

The report said staff helped a higher than average elderly population - with 40 per cent of patients over the age of 65 - and was proactive in the care of patients with dementia.

Professor Steve Field, who inspected the health centre, said: “The practice indentified at an early stage older patients who may need palliative care as they were approaching the end of life.

“They involved older patients in planning and making decisions about their care, including their end-of-life care.”

The health centre was found to be caring, effective, well-led and responsive to people’s needs, with staff praised for being courteous and helpful to patients.

The inspector added: “Patients told us they felt involved in decision-making about the care and treatment they received. They also told us they felt listened to and supported by staff and had sufficient time during consultations to make an informed decision about the choice of treatment available to them.”

The report also said the practice had a clear leadership structure, supported fundraising for the local Admiral Nurse, and had a focus on continuous learning and improvement.

The inspector said: “On the day of inspection, the partners in the practice demonstrated they had the experience, capacity, and capability to run the practice to ensure high-quality care.”

Andy Hoskings, practice manager for the health centre, said he was delighted with the report and added he was ‘enthusiastic’ for the future of the centre. Mr Hoskings said: “The partners and staff of Sid Valley Practice welcomed the inspection team to proudly show off their new building and the services it provides, which include a minor injury unit and carpal tunnel and skin cancer surgery.”