GeraClinic / Research / GP quality by region
GP practices rated “requires improvement” in South West
CQC overall ratings for 511 GP practices in South West, as-of 1 June 2026.
As of 1 June 2026, 8 of 511 GP practices in South West with an overall CQC rating — 2% — were rated “requires improvement”, and 1 were “inadequate”. That ranks South West 9 of 9 English regions by share of “requires improvement” practices (1 = highest), against an England-wide 4%.
- “Requires improvement” share
- 2%
- England average
- 4%
- vs England average
- -2.6 pp
- National rank
- 9 / 9
Ranked by share of “requires improvement” GP practices among 9 English regions (rank 1 = highest share, so a lower share and a higher rank number are better). All figures are real CQC overall-rating counts, as-of 1 June 2026.
South West GP practices by CQC rating
- Outstanding
- 44 (9%)
- Good
- 458 (90%)
- Requires improvement
- 8 (2%)
- Inadequate
- 1 (0%)
- Not rated
- 0 (0%)
By local authority
Local authorities in South West with at least 20 rated GP practices, ranked by “requires improvement” share.
| Local authority | Rated | Requires improvement | RI rate | Inadequate | Good / Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | 21 | 1 | 5% | 0 | 95% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 32 | 1 | 3% | 0 | 97% |
| Bristol, City of | 37 | 1 | 3% | 0 | 97% |
| Dorset | 37 | 1 | 3% | 0 | 97% |
| Cornwall | 55 | 1 | 2% | 0 | 98% |
| Devon | 81 | 1 | 1% | 0 | 99% |
| Gloucestershire | 63 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 100% |
| Somerset | 58 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 100% |
| Wiltshire | 44 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 98% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 21 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 100% |
| South Gloucestershire | 21 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 100% |
By rating band in South West
- GP practices rated “outstanding” in South West (44 of 511)
Frequently asked questions
How many GP practices in South West are rated "requires improvement"?
As of 1 June 2026, 8 of 511 GP practices in South West with an overall CQC rating were rated "requires improvement" (2%). 1 were rated "inadequate", and 502 were "good" or "outstanding".
How does South West compare with the rest of England?
South West ranks 9 of 9 English regions by share of "requires improvement" GP practices (1 = highest share). Its 2% compares with 4% across all rated practices in England.
Which area within South West has the most "requires improvement" GP practices?
Of local authorities in South West with at least 20 rated GP practices, Plymouth had the highest share: 1 of 21 (5%), as of 1 June 2026.
Where does this data come from?
Figures are from the CQC's official "Care directory with ratings" (as-of 1 June 2026), under the Open Government Licence v3.0. They count the overall rating per GP practice; the CQC uses a categorical scheme, not a numeric score.
Other regions
How long are NHS waits in South West?
A GP practice's CQC rating is one part of the picture. See how long NHS treatment is currently taking across South West — official NHS England Referral to Treatment waiting times, by specialty.
- NHS waiting times in South West — 613,805 patients waiting, median 11.1 weeks (April 2026)
- Trauma and Orthopaedic Service waits in South West — median 14.2 weeks
- Cardiothoracic Surgery Service waits in South West — median 13.7 weeks
NHS England Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times, commissioner basis. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Source: Care Quality Commission www.cqc.org.uk. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Ratings are taken from the CQC’s Care directory with ratings (01_June_2026_Latest_ratings.ods, as-of 1 June 2026), published at www.cqc.org.uk. CQC ratings are categorical and change as practices are re-inspected. This analysis is by GeraClinic and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the CQC.