About our history

About our history

Our integration

The Royal Devon was established in April 2022 following the integration of the Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E) and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT).

Every step of our integration has taken place with our patients at the heart of our decision-making process, and the integration of the Royal Devon has many benefits for patients and staff alike.

Combining our services means that we continue to be resilient, sustainable and efficient at delivering high-quality care to the people of Devon both now and in the future. We are dedicated to offering you the care you need when you need it, whether this is at home, out in the community or in one of our hospitals.

Where are we now?

We legally became The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in April 2022, combining our resources and expertise to provide acute, community and specialist services across North Devon, Mid Devon, East Devon and Exeter. 

We are working together to merge our corporate and clinical services over the next few years.

 

About the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E)

The RD&E has a long and proud history dating back over 250 years. As a separate Trust, we provided high-quality care to around 450,000 people in Exeter and across East and Mid-Devon in a large acute teaching hospital, twelve community hospitals, various community settings and in people’s homes.

In 2004, we were one of the first Trusts nationally to achieve NHS Foundation Trust status. This helped us to connect more closely to the people and communities we serve and respond to local needs.

About the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust

The Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT) provided integrated acute and community healthcare services across North Devon together with a range of specialist community services across Devon and Cornwall.

As a separate Trust, we delivered services across a wide geographical and physical location, including in people’s homes, clinics, our five community hospitals and our acute district general hospital – North Devon District Hospital (NDDH). NDDH is the most remote acute hospital in mainland England, just under 1.5 hour’s drive away from its nearest neighbouring acute hospital.

Last updated: April 29, 2024.