St Thomas Medical Group, Exeter: patient reviews and CQC rating
St Thomas Medical Group is a GP practice in Exeter with 37,964 registered patients (September 2026). In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 75% of its patients described their overall experience as good, against 77% across England (Devon: 79%). The Care Quality Commission rates it Outstanding overall, in a report published in May 2019. It has 15.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, or 2,515 patients per GP.
Latest data: September 2026. Patient survey 2026; registered patients September 2026; appointments to August 2026.
What patients say about St Thomas Medical Group
Its best result against England is the share who found the reception and administrative team helpful: 92%, against 85% across England. Its weakest is the share who said they were treated with care and concern: 80%, against 86% across England. With 111 responses, none of its 11 results differs from England by more than the survey's margin of error.
On overall experience it is 17th of the 20 practices in Exeter with 50 or more responses. 56% found it easy to get through by phone (England: 57%). The overall experience result is 6 points lower than in 2025 (81%). 111 patients answered the survey (response rate 17%).
| Survey question | St Thomas Medical Group | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall experience good | 75% | 79% | 77% |
| Easy to contact by phone | 56% | 59% | 57% |
| Easy to contact via the website | 56% | 62% | 58% |
| Easy to contact via the NHS App | 57% | 55% | 54% |
| Reception team helpful | 92% | 87% | 85% |
| Last contact good | 75% | 76% | 73% |
| Wait for appointment about right | 65% | 70% | 69% |
| Listened to well | 88% | 90% | 87% |
| Treated with care and concern | 80% | 88% | 86% |
| Confidence and trust in the clinician | 92% | 94% | 93% |
| Needs met | 90% | 91% | 90% |
In the Friends and Family Test for July 2026, 98% of 378 responses rated the practice good or very good (England: 92%).
CQC's overall rating for St Thomas Medical Group is Outstanding, published in May 2019. 2 key questions are rated differently: Caring Good and Effective Good. It held the same rating in the report before (January 2015).
| Key question | Rating |
|---|---|
| Safe | Outstanding |
| Well-led | Outstanding |
| Caring | Good |
| Responsive | Outstanding |
| Effective | Good |
37,964 patients were registered at St Thomas Medical Group in September 2026, almost the same as a year earlier.
12% of its patients are aged 65 or over, against 19% across England. With 15.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs, there are 2,515 patients per GP, more than the England figure of 2,171 and Devon's 1,863. The practice also has 9.5 nurses and 4.8 other clinical staff such as pharmacists and physiotherapists (full-time equivalent).
| Year | Qualified GPs (FTE) | All GPs incl. trainees (FTE) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | 17.3 | 21.1 |
| August 2024 | 16.3 | 21.2 |
| August 2025 | 16.2 | 21.6 |
| August 2026 | 15.1 | 20.0 |
From June 2026 to August 2026 the practice recorded 16,257 appointments a month, or 428 per 1,000 registered patients (England: 510). 77% were face to face (England: 63%). 32% took place on the day they were booked and 7% more than 28 days after booking (England: 45% and 5%).
34% were with a GP rather than another member of the practice team. 2% of booked patients did not attend.
| Measure | St Thomas Medical Group | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appointments per 1,000 patients a month | 428 | 626 | 510 |
| Face to face | 77% | 54% | 63% |
| Same day as booked | 32% | 45% | 45% |
| More than 28 days after booking | 7% | 6% | 5% |
| Did not attend | 2% | 3% | 4% |
Compared with England, the practice has a higher share of patients on its registers for osteoporosis (1.8% against 1.2%). It has a lower share for diabetes (3.5% against 7.9%), palliative or supportive care needs (0.3% against 0.6%) and high blood pressure (9.3% against 15.2%). The practice's patients live in areas with an average deprivation score of 15.1 (England: 21.8; higher is more deprived).
Life expectancy for its patients' neighbourhoods is 84.7 years for women and 79.2 for men (England: 83.0 and 79.1).
| Condition register | Age group | Practice (2024/25) | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression | 18+ yrs | 12.1% | 14.3% |
| High blood pressure | All ages | 9.3% | 15.2% |
| Asthma | 6+ yrs | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| Diabetes | 17+ yrs | 3.5% | 7.9% |
| Chronic kidney disease | 18+ yrs | 3.2% | 4.6% |
| Cancer | All ages | 2.5% | 3.8% |
| Coronary heart disease | All ages | 2.0% | 3.0% |
| Osteoporosis | 50+ yrs | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| Atrial fibrillation | All ages | 1.5% | 2.2% |
| Stroke and TIA | All ages | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| COPD | All ages | 1.2% | 1.9% |
| Heart failure | All ages | 0.8% | 1.1% |
| Serious mental illness | All ages | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| Dementia | All ages | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Epilepsy | 18+ yrs | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 16+ yrs | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Peripheral arterial disease | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Learning disability | All ages | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Palliative care | All ages | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Screening coverage | Period | Practice | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowel cancer screening (aged 60 to 74) | 2024/25 | 73.5% | 72.9% |
| Breast cancer screening (women aged 53 to 70) | 2024/25 | 74.5% | 72.2% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 25 to 49) | 2023/24 | 52.2% | 67.5% |
| Cervical screening (women aged 50 to 64) | 2023/24 | 74.6% | 74.9% |
St Thomas Medical Group, St Thomas Health Centre, Cowick Street, St Thomas, Exeter, EX4 1HJ. Phone: 01392 676678. Website: www.stthomasmedicalgroup.co.uk.
| Nearby practice | Distance | Overall experience good |
|---|---|---|
| Foxhayes Practice | 1.3 km | 75% |
| Southernhay House Surgery | 1.8 km | 82% |
| Ide Lane Surgery | 1.8 km | 87% |
| St Leonard's Practice | 1.9 km | 74% |
| Barnfield Hill Surgery | 2.0 km | 91% |
- Foxhayes Practice (75% overall experience good)
How do patients rate St Thomas Medical Group?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 75% of patients described their overall experience of St Thomas Medical Group as good, against 77% across England. 56% found it easy to get through by phone.
How many patients are registered at St Thomas Medical Group?
37,964 patients were registered in September 2026, down 0.4% on a year earlier.
What is St Thomas Medical Group's CQC rating?
Outstanding overall, published in May 2019.
How many GPs does St Thomas Medical Group have?
15.1 full-time-equivalent qualified GPs (32 qualified GPs by headcount), which is 2,515 patients per GP against 2,171 across England.
Are appointments at St Thomas Medical Group face to face?
77% of appointments from June 2026 to August 2026 were face to face, against 63% across England.
What is St Thomas Medical Group's phone number?
01392 676678.