News

We are delighted to be celebrating International Clinical Trials Day on Tuesday 20 May.

Clinical Trials Day is celebrated globally in recognition of James Lind, a British Royal Navy surgeon, who began what is often considered the first randomised clinical trial in 1747. This trial aimed to...

The specialist dementia nursing charity Dementia UK and Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have announced that the Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh Admiral Nurse service will reopen for referrals on Monday 19 May 2025.

The service will be jointly funded by the League of F...

As we start our new financial year, I have been reflecting on the progress we have made against our strategy and how this has enabled us to deliver more for our patients across 2024/25.

Our focus over the past twelve months...

An upgrade to MY CARE on Wednesday 14 May is bringing new features to patients who use the digital system.

There are a few changes patients will notice, including the ability to sign in securely, using passkeys. There are also some other small changes that are explained in more detail belo...

Visitors and local people are being encouraged to make best use of health services over the May bank holiday weekend between 3 – 5 May 2025.

The message is that urgent and emergency health care will be there for you, but please choose the right service for your needs.

Dr Peter Colli...

A leading diabetes researcher from the Royal Devon and the University of Exeter has been internationally recognised for his work improving care for people living with diabetes.

Andrew Hattersley CBE was awarded the 57th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Claude Bernard P...

The West of England Eye Unit has marked 18 years of its pioneering nurse-led intravitreal injection service.

In 2008, it became the first eye unit in the UK to enable a wider range of colleagues to administer these injections. Under the supervision of Consultant Ophthalmologist Mr Peter Si...

We have officially opened a new Changing Places Toilet facility in the main entrance at RD&E, along with another accessible toilet and a new breastfeeding facility.

The Trust had received concerns from service users about the lack of accessible facilities at the RD&E (Wonford) and ...

Admin Professionals Day took place on Wednesday 23 April, an opportunity to celebrate and raise the profile of admin professionals across the NHS.

This month we sat down with Gemma Beer, Admin Service Manager in Trauma and Orthopaedics at Exeter Spinal Unit, to find out more about administ...

The Royal Devon University NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula (PenARC) and the University of Exeter, has launched cutting-edge research designed to make a big difference to stroke outcomes.

The research project uses AI and...

Past and current smokers in North Devon will be invited for lung cancer screening in a drive to improve earlier diagnosis and save more lives.

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the Peninsula Cancer Alliance, and InHealth are working together to deliver the Lung Cancer...

A new one-stop service introduced at the Nightingale Hospital Exeter is helping patients with suspected sarcoma get a diagnosis more quickly and with less visits to hospital.

Sarcoma is a rare type of malignant (cancerous) tumour that develops in bone and connective tissue and it can take ...

The NHS in Devon is preparing for the start of the holiday season, as the first of many visitors start to arrive for the Easter weekend.

Visitors and local people are being encouraged to make best use of health services, especially as the Easter bank holiday weekend is a four-day break (18...

The NIHR Patient Recruitment Centre: Exeter has changed its name to the Royal Devon Commercial Research Centre.

The centre will not be funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) however, it will continue to build on the strong track record established by the NIHR P...

Our NHS staff and volunteers deliver extraordinary work every day. The Royal Devon’s Extraordinary People Awards recognise the hard work, dedication and amazing care given by both individual staff and teams.

We are asking patients and carers to nominate a staff member, team or volunteer in...

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Vanessa Purday as Chief Medical Officer for Service Strategy and Operations, joining the Trust on 1 September 2025.

Dr Purday is a practising Consultant Anaesthetist with a special interest in intensive care medicine and joins the Royal De...

The national COVID-19 spring booster programme will begin today, Tuesday 1 April

COVID-19 is more serious in older people and in people with certain underlying health conditions. For these reasons, those eligible are:

• People aged 75 years and over
• Those in care homes<...

From 1 April 2025, the Royal Devon will provide specialist audiology services for patients in Eastern Devon aged 54 and under. This includes paediatrics, adults aged 18-54 years or with severe, profound or complex losses, patients fitted with bone anchored hearing aids (all ages), balance p...

You may be aware via media reports or your GP that some GP practices will no longer be providing secondary care-ordered blood tests from Tuesday 1 April 2025.

From Tuesday 1 April 2025 there will be community phlebotomy clinics provided by the Royal Devon in Bideford, Torrington and Holswo...

We offer Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) and Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford). People who come in with certain conditions can be assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward, and if clinically safe to do so, will go home the same...

From 1 April 2025, the cost of parking at our sites is increasing for those who pay. The income from parking goes to the Trust and helps support our services. Prices are reviewed and updated regularly to ensure we cover our costs. 

Free parking remains available for lots of people, includi...

The Royal Devon are very proud to be part of the winning Community Flow partnership that received the ‘using our money well’ award at the South West Integrated Personalised Care Awards.

The awards recognise and highlight examples of best practice in delivering person-centred work in the re...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has celebrated the arrival of the 50th baby born through a cutting-edge genetic testing service.

Baby Annie’s mum was born with Ichthyosis with Confetti, an extremely rare genetic condition. Thanks to the pioneering service, Annie ...

We are delighted to welcome Professor Sallie Lamb to the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as a nominated Non-Executive Director from the University of Exeter.

Professor Sallie Lamb is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, a...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will be collaborating as part of a national network that aims to dramatically cut the NHS carbon footprint.

Led by the University of Exeter and funded by £6.5 million in government awards, the new UK-wide hub will be working ...

Thousands of patients have told us that they love using MY CARE.

MY CARE is our patient app and online service that gives patients access to their Royal Devon medical information.

In a recent survey of 1,611 patients who use MY CARE, 90% of ...

Our Sexual Assault Referral Centre provides practical, medical and emotional support support to anyone who has experienced sexual assault or rape.

With the recent opening of our new centre in Exeter, this month we sat down with Lyndsay Howell, who is General Manager of Devon & Cornwall...

Local people in Devon have one week left to share their experiences, views and ideas that will contribute to the development of the national 10-Year Health Plan whilst informing local priorities in Devon. There is a dedicated webpage (see below), which includes a link to the Devon 10-Year Plan su...

The Minor Injuries Unit at Honiton Hospital will be temporarily closed from Friday 21 February to allow for the installation of new radiology equipment at Honiton. The service is moving temporarily to Ottery St Mary Hospital, where it will be available 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm. The X-ray ser...

Patient engagement is vital to ensuring we deliver the right care to our patients. If you’ve experienced our health care services, either as a patient yourself or as a carer of someone else, you can share your feedback confidentially through Care Opinion (link below).

Devon Sexual Health, ...

YOUNG people in Devon are being urged to take up their HPV vaccine to guard against the virus that can lead to certain types of cancer.

HPV (human papillomavirus) is the name of a common group of viruses that are easy to catch through skin contact (usually when having sex).

All chil...

A new area for children and young people needing urgent medical care has been opened at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E).

The new Children’s Emergency Department (ED) area and Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) delivers a separate waiting area and dedicated clinical space for t...

• A scheme to support three- to five-year-olds with cleaning their teeth, known as the Big Brush Club, has now been expanded to all nursery, pre-school and reception settings at primary schools in Devon
  
  
• Devon is the first area in the south west to expand supervised toothbrush...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is leading ground-breaking clinical research that has the potential to transform treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Delivered in collaboration with the University of Exeter and Devon Partnership NHS Trust, the studies invol...

Her Majesty The Queen officially opened the new Exeter Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) on Thursday 6 February with the unveiling of a plaque. The opening of the new facility also coincided with national Sexual Abuse and Sexual...

A patient at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has become the first person in the South West to receive an artificial cornea transplant.

The procedure was completed at the West of England Eye Unit (WEEU), based at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (Wonford). It...

A leading stroke specialist at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to stroke research.

Professor Martin James received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the UK Stroke Forum in December 2024 for his work in improvi...

South Molton Eye Centre is a £1.4m facility developed at the former renal unit at South Molton Community Hospital. This was made possible with a generous donation of £500,000 from the South Molton Hospital League of Friends.

It provides diagnostic services and treatments for people with ne...

An ambitious programme to transform care for patients and staff across Devon’s acute hospitals and community sites is a step closer following the awarding of a new contract for an electronic patient record (EPR). 

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) and Torbay and South Devon NHS...

A new service has been introduced at the Nightingale Hospital Exeter to get patients with suspected cancer a diagnosis and treatment more quickly.

The innovative nurse-led trans-nasal endoscopy service is run by Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and has increased the n...

Are you ready to take the next step in your career or explore an exciting new path? The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust invites you to an inspiring Apprenticeship Careers Fair in Exeter on Tuesday 11 February, from 5:00pm to 7:30pm.

Whether you're just starting out, ...

The Royal Devon is proud to support innovation, working closely with our partners to increase opportunities for improving care through clinical research.

Now, two new research projects will help the NHS and councils in the South West improve how patients move through the health and care sy...

Our volunteers are amazing people! Each and every one of them provides invaluable help in supporting the work of the Trust and enriching the experience of our patients.

This month we sat down with Catt Kinsey, who is Voluntary Services Manager at the Trust. Catt tells us more about the rol...

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

Our Council of Governors includes people from across Devon who represent thei...

The Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) service at Exmouth Community Hospital is set to open 7 days a week having recovered staffing levels.

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust took over the service just under a year ago and have worked hard to recruit and train the staff needed t...

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is deeply disappointed following the outcome of New Hospital Programme review announced on Monday confirmed that North Devon District Hospital will now not see building work start until between 2035 and 2039.

Sam Higginson, Chief E...

The Royal Devon is the first NHS Trust to integrate ground-breaking research into clinical practice, which could lead to thousands of people with cancer receiving an earlier diagnosis.

Led by scientists at the University of Exeter, the Help Flag clinical research study has identified a new...

People in Devon are being asked to help the county’s busy NHS by continuing to choose the right service for their needs and getting vaccinated against winter viruses.

A rise in cold weather illnesses, including flu, vomiting and diarrhoea bugs mean all of the county’s NHS services, includi...

The NHS in Devon is reminding everyone of the simple steps they can take to protect their health this winter, including vaccinations, handwashing, and self-care to prevent winter illnesses and protect health.

Get vaccinated

Winter illnesses, including flu, COVID-19 ...