A NEWTON Abbot surgery’s practice manager has been rated among the top 10 most inspiring in the country.

Tracy Green, who works at the Cricketfield Surgery, secured the accolade in a national medical journal which recognised her groundbreaking work in making ‘a real difference to patients’ lives.’

It’s the first time the publication – Management in Practice – has ­compiled a list of influential practice managers.

The journal says it ‘delved behind the scenes to uncover the people who are going the extra mile’.

Chuffed-to-bits Tracy wings in at number seven in the list.

Praise is heaped on her for increasing patient satisfaction scores at Cricketfield by five per cent during 2015/16, reducing the number of complaints and creating early morning appointments for patients.

She has also helped to improve patients’ access to medical staff by introducing a multi-disciplinary team providing pre-bookable and ‘on-the-day’ appointments, along with increased telephone appointments for routine follow-ups.

Tracy said: ‘I am delighted to have been chosen within this group of inspiring managers and feel quite humbled to have been recognised for doing a challenging and rewarding job.

‘I am proud to be part of Cricketfield Surgery as we work towards the highest standards. We really care about our patients, and we will ­continue to monitor our performance to identify where we can improve, because we believe in continuous improvement.’

She added: ‘We are sharing lots on social media and are using the practice website to enhance patient communication.

‘Our latest initiative is an iPad for immediate patient feedback in our reception area.

‘I’d urge patients to use this when they visit us, so their feedback can be shared with the team.’

The majority of GP practices across Devon are higher than the national average for positive patient experience. Most have a ‘good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission, with some rated as ‘outstanding.’

Dr Nick Roberts, chief officer for South Devon and Torbay & NEW Devon Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: ‘We are very proud of the work our practice managers do across Devon, and to have Tracy in the top 10 nationally is testament to her tireless enthusiasm for patients’ care.

She is a reflection of all the good work going on in practices across the county.’

He added: ‘GP practices are facing many challenges today, and with professionals such as Tracy on the frontline, constantly coming up with new and better ways of dealing with these challenges, I feel Devon general practice is in very safe hands.’