News

Members of the public and patients in Devon, as well as NHS staff and healthcare experts, are being invited to share their experiences, views and ideas for improving the NHS to shape a new 10-Year Health Plan for the NHS.

You can respond in two ways:

• By completing the local su...

Ian Roome, Member of Parliament for North Devon, has officially opened the Yeo View Building, a brand-new office building that provides modern workspace for key hospital staff at North Devon District Hospital.

Yeo View is the first major build in the Our Future Hospital programme, that pro...

Our discharge hub at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) and discharge lounge at RD&E Hospital (Wonford) support patients to get home sooner after an admission to hospital. They provide a comfortable environment for patients to relax before being discharged.

This month we sat down wit...

As 2024 comes to an end, we have much to reflect on. It has been a challenging year once again and we have much to do, but our staff have done a truly amazing job and there is so much to be thankful for.

Thank you for your continued support of the Royal Devon. We have recorded a video mess...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is thrilled to announce that its Living with and Beyond Cancer (LWBC) team was part of the group that won the Workforce Initiative of the Year award at this year’s HSJ Awards.

The award was given to the Cheshire & Merseyside Ca...

One Northern Devon’s High Flow team were winners in the Partnership award category at the Pride of DPT Awards Programme ceremony on Tuesday 3 December at Exeter Racecourse.

The award recognises outstanding collaboration between DPT teams and colleagues from partner organisations, that sign...

We are delighted to share another outstanding accomplishment by the SWAOC team at the Nightingale Hospital Exeter in its ground-breaking work to develop innovative new orthopaedic pathways, deliver exceptional patient care, and help reduce waiting times in the region.

In October 2023 the t...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been recognised for its role in championing diversity and inclusion in the workplace by the national charity DFN Project SEARCH.

This award celebrates the Royal Devon’s Eastern services supporting more than 80% of graduates int...

The Royal Devon is preparing for another busy winter across the county following a sustained increase in the number of people attending its emergency departments throughout the autumn months and many people needing to be admitted to hospital.

Colleagues are working hard to ensure patients ...

The Royal Devon is creating a new Chief Medical Officer role to lead our digital and research agendas.

From next year, we will have two CMO roles on our Board – one providing service and clinical leadership, and one driving our digital transformation and leadership in research.

This...

Mothers have shared their views on maternity services at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in the latest national Care Quality Commission (CQC) maternity survey 2024.

The survey asked mothers who had their baby or babies in February 2024 about their experience of c...

We’re extremely proud of Angie Tithecott, Lead Advanced Clinical Practitioner for Heart Failure at the Trust, who was nominated for the prestigious Lynda Blue Award at this year’s British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) Annual Meeting.

The BSH Award is held bi-annually for nurses and Allie...

The NHS in Devon has launched local engagement around the 10 Year Health Plan, which will run in parallel with, and support, the national Change NHS campaign.

Between November 2024 and 28 February 2025 members of the public and patients in Devon, as well as NHS staff and healthcare experts...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Trust will be holding a community nursing recruitment event for registered nurses in December, with job offers being made on the spot. Student nurses, registered nurses, or nurses looking to return to practice after a career break are encouraged to attend...

The new Buttercup Unit at the Nightingale Hospital Exeter is reducing waiting times and helping patients to get their diagnosis more quickly.

The unit opened its doors to patients six months ago and since then has:

• Completed 1,993 diagnostic tests for patients on cardiology wa...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s urgent and emergency care services have scored highly in the latest CQC patient experience survey and ‘overall patient experience of A&E’ scores placed them in the top six trusts.

They were also one of only nine trusts who ac...

This month we sat down with Nicola Brewer, Our Future Hospital Associate Programme Director at the Royal Devon, to find out more about the Our Future Hospital programme at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH).

Hear more about the latest updates, how it will benefit patients and staff and h...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is leading a cutting-edge research study that has the potential to transform total hip replacement surgery.

The hip surgical techniques to enhance rehabilitation (HIPSTER) study aims to improve the experience of people undergoing t...

Teams and individuals at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust attended the NHS Parliamentary Awards on Monday 14 October, where healthcare leaders, finalists and MPs came together to celebrate the incredible contribution healthcare staff make to the NHS.

Following the...

Mums-to-be in Devon are being urged to get vaccinated against flu and other winter bugs, such as Covid and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The call to action is part of an NHS Devon campaign to ensure the most vulnerable are protected against serious illness this winter.

As the f...

This change in Trust policy will bring many benefits for people staying in hospital, including wellbeing and emotional support, improved communication with colleagues, support with nutrition and hydration and a more familiar environment to recover in.

There are also benefits for their visi...

At the Royal Devon we have recently improved our process for helping us to manage our waiting lists more effectively.

How It Works

If you are on a waiting list and have not been seen for 12 weeks , you will receive a check-in message from us (from +44 7...

A campaign led by a diabetes expert at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Exeter is aiming to reduce plastic waste by encouraging patients and doctors to consider reusable insulin pens.

The wo...

An Exeter consultant and diabetes researcher has received one of Europe's most prestigious research awards for his contribution to diabetes research.

Dr Kashyap Patel, recognised for his work in genetic forms of diabetes at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the...

On Wednesday 13 November we will be updating MY CARE.

MY CARE is accessible on a computer, phone or tablet and brings information about hospital appointments, test results and other medical details together in one convenient place. We do regular to MY CARE to improve the service for patien...

COVID-19 and flu spread more easily in winter when we spend more time together indoors and vaccination is the best protection against these viruses.

Following the launch of our COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programme in October, we sat down to talk to Mandi Tydeman from our Eastern ...

It was wonderful to welcome Bishop Jackie, Bishop of Crediton and Acting Bishop of Exeter, to North Devon District Hospital on Monday 21 October.

As the Exeter Diocese prepares to welcome Bishop Mike in November, this may well be one of her last official visits in North Devon. The Bishop w...

Cancer services are celebrating after being named overall winner at the national Health Tech Awards last Thursday (10 October).

Over 150 NHS leaders from a variety of care settings and backgrounds judged the awards and shortlisted over 100 projects for 14 categories. The Royal Devon team s...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is leading new research that builds on the findings of a revolutionary genetic study.  

Working in partnership with the University of Exeter, the research follows up on the impact of those diagnosed through the Deciphering Developm...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is very proud to have seen an increase on its previous scores in the most recent national inpatient survey. The Trust is placed second in the top 10 acute and combined hospital Trusts’ over all ranking.

The Royal Devon ranks in the...

The Royal Devon has been awarded £1.4m to build a state-of-the-art clinical research facility in North Devon, and is one of only 30 NHS Trusts to have received this funding award.

Located at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, the dedicated hub will provide space and equipment for...

A £1.4m charity appeal has been launched to fund the cost of high-tech equipment for a ‘Super Theatre’ being built at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E).

The new state-of-the-art operating theatre will provide specialist surgery for patients in Devon with aneurysms, blood clots...

We need people to help with PLACE assessments in November - have you got a few hours spare to help us?

What is a PLACE assessment?

Patient-led assessments of the care environment (PLACE) put the patient voice at the heart of assessing and improving the hospital ...

On the evening of Friday 4 October 2024, 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 recognise the outstanding contribution that staff and v...

Yesterday, Tuesday 1 October, we held a talk and Q&A on robotic surgery and our formal Annual Members’ Meeting (AMM).

It was fantastic to see lots of members of the public, staff, and governors, both in the room at the RD&E and on Microsoft Teams. Attendees had some great questions...

We were delighted to welcome Liberal Democrat party leader Sir Ed Davey and local MP Ian Roome to North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) today to learn about our plans to build a better hospital in North Devon.

Sir Ed and Ian were shown some of our estate which is most in need of investment,...

On Tuesday 8 October the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Devon) is testing what happens when its electronic patient record (EPR) is not operational.

Since 2020 the Royal Devon has used the Epic EPR to care for patients. It has helped the Trust improve patient ...

The Cardiac Day Case Unit (CDCU) at the RD&E Hospital (Wonford) held a celebration event on Friday 27 September to mark seeing its 1,000th patient, six months after it opened.

Since opening, it has significantly increased the number of cardiac patients the Royal Devon University Health...

Following the announcement of the New Hospital Programme Review by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July 2024, the Terms of Reference for the review have now been agreed with the Chief Secretary of HM Treasury. The paper details which schemes will form part of the review and includes North Devo...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is excited to announce the return of its annual careers fair, offering an exciting glimpse into opportunities in Allied Health Professions, Pathology, and Pharmacy. The events take place on Saturday 12 October, from 9.30am - 120pm in Exet...

Video appointments let you talk to a clinician using your smartphone, tablet or computer. They are an excellent way to provide you with information, advice and support at a place that is most convenient to you.

In April this year, we changed the system we use for our video appointments to ...

In August, we let you know that a former trainee doctor at North Devon District Hospital, Salil Korambayil, had been sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape and a further 12 months for unlawful use of data. This was following the conclusion of the case and the lifting of reporting restrictions. ...

Following our election to the Council of Governors held this summer, we’re delighted to welcome nine new governors (seven public and two staff) and confirm the re-election of three current governors (two public and one staff).

Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s election, an...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will begin rolling out the national COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programme on Thursday 3 October.

COVID-19 and flu spread more easily in winter when we spend more time together indoors and vaccination is the best protection...

World Patient Safety Day is on Tuesday 17 September and the theme this year is focused on improving diagnosis for patient safety.

To mark the day, we're shining a spotlight on the Devon Diagnostic Centre and the Buttercup Outpatient Unit, based at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter, as th...

The Trust is pleased to announce the launch of the Our Future Hospital programme website.

Our Future Hospital (OFH) is the programme established by the Trust to develop North Devon District Hospital (NDDH), so that it can continue to deliver high-quality health and care services to local c...

The Centre of Excellence for Eyes (CEE) recently hosted a visit from Dr Alistair Papali’i-Curtin, Co-Director of ONZ (Ophthalmology New Zealand), who wanted to visit innovative cataract units in the UK.

Dr Papali’i-Curtin contacted the Royal College of Ophthalmologists to ask for some reco...

It’s Organ Donation Week from 23-29 September, a time to reflect on what it means to give the gift of life to someone else.

To find out what’s happening with organ donation at the Royal Devon, we sat down for a chat with Kathryn Somers (pictured left), Specialist Nurse for Organ Donation, ...

Teams and individuals at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are celebrating becoming regional winners in this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards.

The awards recognise the outstanding contribution of NHS staff, volunteers and other health and care sectors and give membe...

An eye specialist from the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been appointed as one of the national clinical leads for ophthalmology at a national NHS programme for improving the treatment and care of patients.

Dr Liz Wilkinson is a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the...

Local people will have the opportunity to hear about advancements in the NHS at a public event taking place at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford) and online, on Tuesday 1 October 2024, 12.30pm-4pm.

All are welcome to come along and hear from the Trust’s clinical experts, who wil...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is asking pregnant women and older people to come forward to be vaccinated against a respiratory virus from 1 September.

The vaccination programme for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), includes both a vaccine for pregnant women ov...

Mr Keith Eyres, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, recently celebrated finishing his 500th knee replacement surgery at the South West Ambulatory Orthopaedic Centre (SWAOC).

This represents another milestone for the centre, which is based at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter. It has been ins...

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an urgent call to parents to ensure their children catch up on missed vaccinations before they head to the classroom, amid fears of a further surge in measles cases as the new term begins.

Uptake rates of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)...

A former trainee doctor at North Devon District Hospital, Salil Korambayil, appeared in Truro Crown Court today and has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape and a further 12 months for unlawful use of data. Reporting restrictions on the case have now been lifted and we are glad we can no...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Devon) are extremely pleased that patients receiving cancer care from them rated their care higher than average in nearly all areas in the recent national cancer patient experience survey.

Overall, patient feedback was posit...

Over the last few days we have seen deplorable violence and intimidation in towns and cities across the UK. We wholeheartedly condemn the deliberate acts of violence and racism that have taken place and we want to make a clear statement about our values and behaviours as an organisation.

I...

I know from speaking to patients and local people that lots of you are worried about waiting times for treatment. In this month’s newsletter I wanted to update you on our position, and share the significant progress we’ve made in the past year. I also wanted to tell you ...

We are excited to announce the finalists for this year’s Extraordinary People Staff Awards.

We received over 500 nominations, which is testament to how grateful people are for the hard work of our staff and volunteers and their commitment to providing amazing care. Our judging panels have ...

This month, we take you behind the scenes to show you some of the work being done by a team that plays an important role in helping us to manage our waiting lists. We sat down with Simon Hellier, Deputy Patient Access Manager in our Northern Services, to find out more about what he and his collea...

The UK will become the first country in the world to have a national programme that uses the same vaccine to protect both newborns and older adults against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

The roll-out, which will start from Sunday 1 September in England, includes both a vaccine for preg...

From Thursday 15 August 2024, patients and the public will pay the same to park at NHS hospitals across Devon, following a review. Car parking charges are regularly benchmarked against local authority car park charges, and as part of this review we have agreed to harmonise our approach to give si...

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) will be experiencing staffing shortages during the week Monday 5 August – Friday 9 August. As a result, we may take longer than usual to respond to your query. 

Please bear with us and we will try to respond to you as soon as possible. Thank yo...

We will celebrate the achievements of hundreds of our caring staff and volunteers at an awards ceremony later this year, thanks to support from corporate sponsors.

Our Extraordinary People Awards recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of the staff and volunteers who work at t...

In March a former Trust employee, Alexander Knight (Grice), was convicted of five charges of downloading and viewing indecent images of children.

This is a particularly distressing criminal case and the Trust commissioned an independent review to help us understand what we could learn from...

A Royal Devon Honorary Consultant and Exeter University professor, Dr David Strain, has been named as one of eight Thematic Research Leads, who will act as a bridge between the new Parliament ...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is hosting a careers event to showcase community nursing careers, encouraging passionate individuals to join the team and make a difference in patients' lives.

The event will take place at Ilfracombe & District Tyrrell Hospital...

You can now nominate yourself to be a public governor for the Royal Devon and bring the voices of your community to our Trust.

Governors have a wide range of experiences and backgrounds, but what they share is a passion for championing the interests of staff and patients, and supporting lo...

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Devon) is offering some patients the chance to cut down their waiting time and get an appointment at short notice through the MY CARE patien...

The Nightingale Hospital Exeter celebrated the opening of a new unit that will provide state-of-the-art technology and innovation to further reduce waiting times for patients across Devon. Cardiology, Respiratory and Gastroenterology are now providing diagnostic services from the Buttercup unit w...

New data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows cases of whooping cough continue to increase with 2,591 cases confirmed in May. This follows 555 cases in January 2024, 920 in February, 1,427 in March and 2,106 in April – bringing the total number of cases from January to May 202...

The South West Genomic Medicine Service (SWGMS) is inviting enthusiastic volunteers to join their Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum.

Representing a partnership of NHS Trusts across the South West, including the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the SWGMS prov...

On Friday 12 July we held the Our Future Hospital (OFH) open day at NDDH. We were thrilled with the high number of guests who attended and the lecture theatre was packed with people who heard talks from Dame Shan Morgan, Royal Devon Chair, Dr David Sanders, OFH Clinical Lead and Zara Hyde, OFH Pr...

A new poster celebrating the work of Chloe Orkin, an esteemed clinician and researcher at the Royal London Hospital and Queen Mary University of London, specialising in HIV/AIDS, has been unveiled in the Exeter Health Library in the RILD.

The poster is based on the winning entry of PRISM E...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been successful in its application for £2m of funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to carry out research into respiratory disease, aiming to shed light on a health condition that adversely affects th...

An emerging star in the field of diabetes studies at the University of Exeter and Exeter Genomics Laboratory has won the 2024 European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Minkowski Prize.

Dr Elisa De Franco is the latest recipient of the Minkowski Prize which was established in 19...

A new national dementia network involving leading researchers at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been set up thanks to a £1.7million funding award.

Led by the University of Exeter and University College London (UCL), the National Dementia Network Plus brings ...

We are looking for people to bring the voices of their communities to our Trust by nominating themselves to be a public governor.

What is a governor?

Governors share their feedback with members of the Board of Directors, those at the highest level of the Trust, to r...