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Have you tried our Wonford Park and Ride service?
28 Jun 2022
Due to the recent increase in clinical service activity and the relaxation of visitor restrictions, our car parks across the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E) in Wonford are becoming increasingly busy.
Could you use our Wonford Park and Ride service? Situated at Sowton (EX2 5GL), ...

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust celebrates extraordinary staff and volunteers
24 Jun 2022
On the evening of Tuesday 21 June 2022, the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust held their Extraordinary People Awards ceremony to celebrate the incredible staff and volunteers who work across the Trust.
The awards have 11 different categories which recognise the outsta...

How to get vaccinated this summer
23 Jun 2022
The spring booster programme draws to a close this month, but it’s not too late for people who are eligible to have their vaccination and clinics will still run over the summer.
People turning 75 on or after 1 July will not be eligible for the spring booster, however anyone who is eligible...

Share your tips for Cervical Screening Awareness Week
23 Jun 2022
To mark Cervical Screening Awareness Week (20-26 June), Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is joining Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to raise awareness of the test and encourage sharing of tips and experiences to help more women to attend.
Worryingly almost one in three acr...

Armed Forces Week 2022
22 Jun 2022
Armed Forces Week is an annual week of celebration and recognition for our UK Armed Forces community.
Across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, we are proud to show our support for the Armed Forces community, including the troops currently serving, cadets, reserves...

Share your feedback to help tackle inequalities in Northern Devon
21 Jun 2022
One Northern Devon is carrying out a Health Inequalities Community Engagement Project, with the support of Research Your Way, and would really appreciate your help.
One Northern Devon is a partnership of organisations, including the Royal Devon, who are working together to improve wellbein...

Royal Devon looking for Governors to help shape local health services
20 Jun 2022
The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Devon) is looking for people who are keen to stand as candidates for election as one of the Trust’s Public Governors.
This year sees the first election to the Trust’s Council of Governors since the Royal Devon was establishe...

Nightingale Hospital Exeter shortlisted for HSJ Patient Safety Award
20 Jun 2022
The South West Ambulatory Orthopaedic Centre (SWAOC), based at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter, has been shortlisted for a HSJ Patient Safety Award 2022.
The NHS Nightingale Exeter originally opened as a COVID-19 hospital to support the country’s response to the first wave of the pande...

Launch of the Royal Devon’s Green Plan
16 Jun 2022
As the UK marks Clean Air Day, the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Green Plan is set to play its part in helping the NHS cut more than 1m tonnes of C02 emissions in the next three years – the equivalent of taking 520,000 cars off the road.
One of more than 200 new ...

Learning Disability Awareness Week 2022
16 Jun 2022
Learning Disability Awareness Week takes place from Monday 20 June to Sunday 26 June.
To mark the occasion and raise awareness of the support available, we wanted to share a story from one of our patients with a learning disability.
Here is a story from Sharon, who was diagnosed wit...

Changes to mask wearing across our healthcare settings
15 Jun 2022
Following national changes, the policy and guidance in our hospital settings is largely as it was before the pandemic, with some important exceptions.
Visitors, staff and patients are no longer routinely required to wear face coverings unless it is their personal preference.
There ...

Summer minor injuries services in Northern Devon
14 Jun 2022
Ilfracombe and Bideford MIUs were closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. This allowed the highly skilled MIU staff to be redeployed to the emergency department (ED) at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH), where extra space and staffing was needed to provide a COVID-safe serv...

Inpatient and outpatient visiting restrictions eased across the Royal Devon from Friday 10 June 2022
10 Jun 2022
Reflecting the reduced number of patients with COVID-19 across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, from today, Friday 10 June 2022, we are easing inpatient and outpatient visiting restrictions.
In summary:
- Adult inpatients: open for vis...

One month to go until Epic launches across our Northern services
9 Jun 2022
It’s one month until the MY CARE Northern Devon Programme launch of Epic, a new electronic patient record system on Saturday 9 July 2022 across our Northern services.
Hundreds of colleagues have worked together across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to get us rea...

North Devon MP visits vaccination centre
9 Jun 2022
The MP for North Devon, Selaine Saxby, has visited the brand new, purpose-built mobile COVID-19 vaccination facility run by Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Barnstaple.
Ms Saxby visited the new facility on Monday 30 May. She was shown around the site by Suzanne Tra...

New midwife-led birth room at Ladywell Unit
8 Jun 2022
Women and birthing people choosing to give birth at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) can now enjoy hugely improved facilities, with the opening of a new midwife-led birth room.
The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been working to improve facilities and choice ...

North Devon District Hospital hosting UN climate change exhibition
8 Jun 2022
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to be hosting "Care for the future - Delivering the world's first net zero health service" - a unique collection of nine photographs, captured by portrait photographer Justin Lambert, celebrating some of the people and the teams ...

NHS launches campaign to help diagnose cancer early
6 Jun 2022
The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is supporting an NHS England & NHS Improvement campaign, ‘Help Us, Help You’, which is taking a different approach to detecting cancer earlier for patients, when it is easier to treat.
This national campaign encourages everyone...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust celebrates Volunteers’ Week
1 Jun 2022
Wednesday 1 June 2022 is the start of Volunteers' Week, an annual celebration of the contribution people make through volunteering.
Across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, dozens of volunteers choose to give up their time to help others.
Suzanne Tracey, Ch...

Barnstaple honours vaccination staff and volunteers
31 May 2022
Barnstaple Town Council has bestowed one of its highest civic honours on Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s COVID-19 Northern services vaccination team.
The Royal Devon was presented with the RAF Community Plate at the town council’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesda...

Royal Devon nurse offered a place on a distinguished leadership programme
31 May 2022
A clinical nurse manager at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded a prestigious scholarship on the Florence Nightingale Foundation: Windrush 2022 Leadership Programme, which aims to recognise the contrievobution of Windrush nurses and midwives across the NHS....

Pop-up vaccinations centres over the Jubilee period
30 May 2022
We will be running pop-up vaccination centres across the north and east of Devon over the Bank Holiday weekend and the first two weeks of June.
Northern
The Barnstaple centre, in the car park of Tesco Extra, will be closed on June Thursday 2 June and Friday 3 June, ...

Royal Devon sites celebrate Jubilee
26 May 2022
The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating opening its second site named after the Queen.
Jubilee Ward, the Royal Devon’s newest inpatient ward, opened earlier this week on the North Devon District Hospital site.
Named in honour of the Queen’s Platinum...

Extraordinary People - Sharing Nominations
24 May 2022
In January we asked staff, patients and our local communities to nominate their Extraordinary People of 2022, recognising and celebrating the staff who make the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust such a special place.
We received over 400 nominations from across our Tru...

Staying healthy over the Jubilee weekend
23 May 2022
As the country prepares to celebrate the historic Platinum Jubilee, the NHS in Devon is reminding people where to get help if they need it and to ensure they have enough prescription medication for the double bank holiday.
The NHS expects to experience similar extra pressures to those typi...

Easing of visiting restrictions at our hospitals from Friday 20 May
19 May 2022
Visiting is still limited across our hospitals to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
However, we understand how important visiting is to our inpatients and so, in light of reducing prevalence of COVID-19, from Friday 20 May 2022, we have changed visiting restriction...

New research study in Exeter: Help us find a way to prevent bloodstream infections
16 May 2022
People aged 60 years or older with a history of urinary tract infection (UTI) are at an increased risk of developing a bloodstream infection caused by E. coli bacteria.
The PRC Exeter (next to the RILD Building at our RD&E Wonford site) is looking for participants for a clinical resear...

Milestones reached as NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter helps to further reduce the region’s waiting list
13 May 2022
Over 15,000 people from across Devon have now accessed facilities provided through a multitude of projects introduced at the Nightingale Hospital Exeter, helping to further reduce waiting times for certain procedures.
This includes over 100 knee and hip replacements which have...

MP for North Devon, Selaine Saxby, visits North Devon District Hospital
11 May 2022
Ms Saxby visited North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple on Friday 6 May and was joined on the visit by Dr Sarah Wollaston and Dame Shan Morgan. Dr Wollaston is Chair designate of the Integrated Care System for Devon, former MP for Totnes and former chair of the House of Commons Health Select...

Public encouraged to get their COVID vaccinations at new mobile vaccination centre in Barnstaple
9 May 2022
A brand new, purpose-built mobile COVID-19 vaccination facility for the people of Northern Devon has opened today, Monday 9 May.
The new vaccination centre is located in the car park of the Barnstaple Tesco Extra, just across the road from its current site in the Barnstaple Leisure Centre....

£1.25m eye care hub for South Molton hospital thanks to £500,000 donation from League of Friends
6 May 2022
People with eye conditions in North Devon and Torridge will benefit from reduced waiting times and access to state-of-the-art equipment when a new Ophthalmology Hub at South Molton Community Hospital opens this year.
The former renal unit at the hospital will be redeveloped to create the n...

Deaf Awareness Week, 2-8 May: #MyDeafStory - Georgina Daugherty
6 May 2022
To help mark Deaf Awareness Week (2-8 May 2022), which aims to highlight the impact of hearing loss on everyday life and increase visibility and inclusion of deaf people, staff member Georgina Daugherty has shared her #MyDeafStory below:
I was born profoundly deaf in both ears and h...

International Day of the Midwife - thank you to our midwifery colleagues
5 May 2022
Today, on International Day of the Midwife, we’d like to thank our midwives and maternity support workers and everyone else who works in our maternity teams for their continued hard work, compassion and dedication.
There are no words to describe the impact that our midwifery colleagues hav...

Nurses invited to recruitment open day at Bideford Hospital
5 May 2022
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are holding a Community Nursing Recruitment day for our Northern services on Saturday 7 May from 10am to 3pm at Bideford Hospital.
The Royal Devon are looking for experienced and newly-qualified nurses to join our Comm...

NHS in Devon extremely busy
5 May 2022
Devon’s NHS services are extremely busy, due to high numbers of people requiring hospital treatment. People are being urged to do their bit to support the NHS by using the most appropriate service for their condition and keeping the emergency department for life threatening conditions. Those wi...

COVID-19 vaccination appointments moving from Barnstaple Leisure Centre to Tesco Extra car park from Monday 9 May
29 Apr 2022
The vaccination centre at Barnstaple Leisure Centre is moving from its current site to a purpose-built mobile centre in the car park of the Barnstaple Tesco Extra from Monday 9 May 2022.
The new centre is just across the road from its current site and will provide vaccines to those with ap...

Getting the help you need this bank holiday weekend
28 Apr 2022
With another long weekend ahead please remember that most GP practices are closed on Monday 2 May and more people are outdoors enjoying everything Devon has to offer. This will lead to increased pressure on our services.
Bank holidays will see many patients calling the NHS 111 helpline bec...

Proudly celebrating World Admin Day
27 Apr 2022
We’d like to say a special thank you to all of our amazing admin and clerical colleagues who play a hugely important part in providing care to our patients.
We couldn’t do what we do without them, so to all our admin and clerical colleagues - thank you all so much for the huge contribution...

Surgical services at Nightingale benefitting people in Torbay and South Devon
25 Apr 2022
New surgical services at the NHS Nightingale Exeter (Nightingale) is already benefitting people in Torbay and South Devon, who have previously had surgery delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Robert, from Shaldon, had been on the waiting list for knee replacement surgery due to advanced o...

Updated visiting restrictions at Northern Devon District Hospital and South Molton Hospital
25 Apr 2022
Visiting is still limited at NDDH and South Molton to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and we ask that staff use other methods such as video calls, letter printing etc instead, where possible.
Please speak to the patient experience team who can assist with this. You can contact the...

April 2022 - Update from your maternity services
22 Apr 2022
As you know every part of the NHS is still under extreme and sustained pressure. We would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that your Maternity Services are open for business and here to support you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Our priority is always to support you to have a ...

Accessible toilet opens at NDDH
21 Apr 2022
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has opened its first fully accessible toilet, at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH).
The new facility is one of only five in North Devon and Torridge to gain accreditation to Changing Places, the national directory of fully accessibl...

New ANPR parking system at North Devon District Hospital
20 Apr 2022
New ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras are to be introduced at North Devon District Hospital, which will see the removal of all entry and exit barriers to the site’s car parks.
From today, Wednesday 20 April, people using the public car park will be asked to drive in, find a...

Update on minor injuries services in Northern Devon
20 Apr 2022
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust closed Ilfracombe and Bideford MIUs at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. This allowed our highly skilled MIU staff to be redeployed to the emergency department (ED) at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH), where extra space and staffing was need...

Changes to public transport when travelling to the Exeter COVID-19 Vaccination Centre
13 Apr 2022
If you are visiting the Greendale Vaccination Centre in Exeter, please be aware that you will no longer be able to get there via the No 9 bus, as Stagecoach is ending its diverted route to the vaccination centre.
Instead, visitors will have to catch the No 56 bus for a d...

Getting the help you need this Easter weekend
6 Apr 2022
With Easter fast approaching, Devon’s NHS leaders are calling on people to be prepared ahead of the bank holidays and the two-week school holiday period.
The long Easter weekend traditionally puts extra pressure on health services when most GP practices are closed and more people are outdo...

Devon Nightingale’s legacy continues as the hospital tackles the region’s waiting lists
6 Apr 2022
The NHS Nightingale Exeter (Nightingale) was initially part of the national response to the first wave of the pandemic, providing emergency in-patient care for nearly 250 patients with COVID-19 from across Devon, Somerset, and Dorset.
As a result of a clinically-led redesign programme, the...

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust and Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust merge to become the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
1 Apr 2022
From today (Friday 1 April 2022), the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E) and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT) have formally merged to become the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The new Trust has two acute and 20 community hospitals, and...