Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) member GP practices have been rated among the highest in the country – by the patients they serve.

A national survey showed that patient experience of local doctors’ surgeries in Devon was consistently better than the England average.

Almost nine in ten Devon patients said they would recommend their GP surgery to someone who has just moved to the area and 95 per cent said they had confidence and trust in their GP.

A total of 84 per cent of patients in Devon reported they found it easy to get...

Mindfulness – a mental training that develops sustained attention that can change the ways people think, act and feel – could reduce symptoms of stress and depression and promote wellbeing among school children, according to a new study published online by the British Journal of Psychiatry.

With the summer exam season in full swing, school children are currently experiencing higher levels of stress than at any other time of year. The research showed that interventions to reduce stress in children have the biggest impact at this time of year. There is growing evidence that...

An abandoned penguin chick is being fed fish soup six times a day by dedicated zoo keepers.

Staff at Living Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo and aquarium, are caring for the baby macaroni penguin. The chick is fed every 3 hours from 7am to 10 o’clock at night.

The egg was abandoned by penguin parents Corrine and Blue. Living Coasts Head of Operation Clare Rugg explained: “With macaroni penguins, the first egg is usually discarded and rarely hatches, but keepers found this one was fertile.”

The chick hatched on 27 May. It eats fish soup delivered gently through a...

RAMM’s Collections Review has just been nominated for national Collections Practice Award from the Collections Trust.

These awards celebrate projects which demonstrate the application of innovative practice to improve the sustainability and use of collections. The winners will be announced on 2 July 2013.

RAMM is home to almost a million objects and support from Arts Council England has enabled the museum to take stock of this wealth of material. Wishing to unlock the collections’ potential for learning, research and inspiration and to ensure that our collections will be...

Exeter Chiefs have bolstered their options ahead of the new 2013/14 season with the acquisition of Greg Bateman from Championship side London Welsh.

The talented hooker, who celebrates his 24th birthday today, has agreed a two-year deal with the Devon club after spending the past two seasons with the Exiles following previous stints with Dorking, Rosslyn Park (loan) and the Harlequins Academy. Bateman is Exeter’s fifth new signing following the earlier captures of Fetu’u Vainikolo (Connacht), Dave Lewis (Gloucester), Tom James and Ceri Sweeney (Cardiff Blues). And Bateman’s move to...

A firefighter who was one of the first on the scene of a major fire in Crediton has created an exhibition charting the history of the buildings involved.

The fire in Buller Square on 2 February 2012 severely damaged five historic thatched cottages and adjoining properties were also damaged by the fire. Ten fire crews were fighting the fire at its height and firefighters were at the scene for three days.

Now local firefighter and artist Simon Ripley will exhibit pictures and writing exploring the heritage of Buller Square at the town’s fire station next week as part of...

A new consultation has been launched, asking people for their views on East Devon’s proposals for securing infrastructure funding from new developments.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is the new way to get contributions from developers for things such as road improvements, public open space, cycle routes and other infrastructure which is needed to support growth.

It’s proposed to replace the current Section 106 Agreement system for securing contributions towards infrastructure, meaning a flat rate would be paid by developers per square metre of gross internal...

The South West should have the water it needs for decades to come without the need to build expensive new reservoirs or desalination plants. That's the conclusion of a new report by South West Water setting out its proposed water resource management plan from 2015 - 40.

The plan has been opened to the public for comments before being sent to Defra for agreement later this year.

Despite expected increases in population and taking into account the predicted effects of climate change, South West Water anticipates that the region will continue to have a net surplus of water...