Board meetings, papers & minutes

Upcoming Board meetings in public 2025

• Wednesday 24 September 2025 
• Wednesday 26 November 2025

You are warmly invited to attend the Board of Directors meetings held in public. Meetings will be held face to face in the Boardroom, Noy Scott House, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, EX2 5DW, unless otherwise stated above. All Board meetings in public start at 09:30 unless otherwise stated.

A hybrid option will be made available for anyone wishing to join the meeting virtually. Please contact louise.vine1@nhs.net for further information and to request the link.  You will be required to provide your name and in what capacity you wish to attend.

These meetings are not public meetings, but a meeting in public to which members of the Trust, the Council of Governors, the general public and staff are invited and very welcome to observe, but may not take part in the Board discussion. However, there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the meeting; questions must be in relation to an agenda item.

Anyone who wishes to observe a meeting should contact louise.vine1@nhs.net to register their interest, providing their name and in what capacity they are attending, along with whether there are any declarations that need to be made. 

Guidelines for members of the public observing the public Board

• Please note that to support good governance, in addition to Board meetings being minuted, the meeting will be recorded via MS Teams - both the minutes and recording will be made available on the website at a later date.
• You are observing a meeting of the Board of Directors in public, not a public meeting.
• There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the meeting. The questions MUST relate to the business discussed as set out on the agenda for the meeting.
• Contractors and representatives of companies are welcome to attend but are not permitted to ask questions which relate to their business (company), any services they wish to offer the Trust or any on-going tender processes as these should be managed in line with instructions provided within the tender documents.
• Due to time constraints, the Chair’s decision on the number of questions that can be taken at any meeting will be final. Any member of the public who asks a question will be limited to a maximum of two questions in the meeting.
• Members of the media may routinely attend our Board meetings. Comments made in the Board meeting in public may be conveyed publicly by the media. The Royal Devon cannot control how comments are used externally unless they breach confidentiality or legal boundaries.
• The Chair will ensure Board meetings take place without disruption. The Chair has the right to exclude members of the public if they cause disruptions.
• Questions about an individual’s care or a friend’s or relatives’ should not be raised. The first point of call for clarification on care or other related issues should be Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) who would put you in touch with the department involved with your care. Contact details are on the PALS page.

Joining the meeting on the day via MS Teams

• The Trust will be using MS Teams software for the virtual Board meeting. Access can be gained by clicking a URL link which will be shared via email.
• There is no need to download MS Teams software; all that is required is an internet connection and a web browser such as Chrome or Edge.
• If you don't have the MS Teams app, click ‘Join on the web instead’ which will load the meeting into your web browser.
• When you click the link in the invitation to join the meeting, please ensure that your camera and microphone are switched off. You will be able to see the Board of Directors in the meeting. In order to support the Board in transacting its business without interruption, it is imperative that observers are not visible on screen (your camera must be switched off) or can be heard (your microphone must be set to mute). If you do not, you may feature in the recording of the meeting.
• The chat facility within MS Teams is available for members of the Board only, until such time as the public are invited to ask questions by the Chair.
• When the Chair invites questions, please type into the chat facility your name and that you would like to raise a question.

29 January 2025: Papers, Recording, and Minutes
Additional papers: CEO Board Report

26 March 2025: Papers and Minutes
No recording of the meeting available due to technical difficulties

28 May 2025: Papers, Recording, and Minutes

30 July 2025: Papers, Recording and Minutes
Additional papers: Research & Development Report

24 September 2025: Papers, Recording part 1, Recording part 2

For board papers and minutes from previous years, please see our archive.

Although we aim to ensure we use as few acronyms as possible in our board papers (or at least none without explanation), a glossary of acronyms is available to download.