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 how you can get involved.

What is Our Future Hospital?

Our Future Hospital (OFH) is our programme to build a better hospital in North Devon. It’s an exciting step forward in our plans to future proof the essential hospital services that the people of Northern Devon depend on.

OFH was set up following our inclusion in the Government’s New Hospital Programme, and it’s through this programme that we aim to modernise NDDH to meet the healthcare needs of the local population for years to come.

By building a better hospital we will be able to meet growing demand for hospital care in a sustainable way. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade our current estate and deliver modern, integrated care for patients and improved working facilities for staff.

How will it benefit Northern Devon?

New clinical spaces will mean we can care for more people and meet increasing health needs. Through OFH we hope to be able to deliver:

• New, and an increased number of operating theatres to meet growing demand and to keep waiting times low
• A new, larger intensive care unit (ICU) to treat more people with complex needs locally
• Increased numbers of MRI and CT scanners for faster diagnoses and earlier treatment
• A new maternity department with dedicated theatres and better privacy in single rooms
• A new high dependency unit to carry out more procedures locally and free-up ICU space
• An improved endoscopy department to increase capacity and enable more early detection of cancer and other conditions
• 100% single occupancy rooms in new acute care blocks to improve patient experience.

What’s happening at the moment?

It’s a busy time for the team, we have submitted the business case to improve our on-site residential accommodation for staff and expect to hear the outcome in December this year.  This phase is crucial in helping us attract and retain clinical staff to deliver our services now and into the future. The next stage in the business case process is to secure funding for the entire programme. This has been completed and will be submitted at the end of this month.

The new Yeo View building which will house our clinical admin teams (currently based in Munro and Chichester buildings) has been completed, and all teams will be moving in to their new office accommodation by the end of December. Munro and Chichester Houses can then be demolished in Spring 2025 to make way for the new staff accommodation building.

Is there anything else you’d like people to know about the programme?

Our OFH programme started in 2020 and is being delivered in phases.

Phase zero saw us roll out the new Electronic Patient Record system at North Devon District Hospital in 2022, taking it Trust wide. Electronic records are an important first step in modernising our services and will help us maximise the benefits of developing digital technology. They enable staff to access vital patient information wherever they are and help join up care for our patients.

Phase one will see us build new high-quality staff accommodation on site. It will be used by colleagues needing short-term stays, such as on-call staff, locum doctors, students and staff searching for permanent housing.  Other site infrastructure will also be covered under phase one, including a new twin MRI suite, new orbital road and upgrades to our entrance and exit.

Alongside this we will see essential upgrades to power and communications infrastructure in readiness for our new clinical buildings.

In Phase two we will build the new clinical buildings which will house facilities which are in the greatest need of upgrade. We plan for the new clinical buildings to be multi-level, easier to get around, with several entrances, and be flexible enough to accommodate the various needs of our patients and services in the future. It will also improve access and conditions for staff, patients and visitors.

Phase three will cover the rationalisation and reconfiguration of the remaining estate to ensure that services that remain in the existing main hospital building are suitably located and that other temporary structures around the estate are removed.

How can people find out more or get involved?

You can visit our dedicated OFH website to learn more about the programme and keep up to date on the latest news.

NDDH is the most remote acute hospital in mainland England and is in critical need of investment to replace, renew and, refurbish the hospital. OFH will enable us to provide modern, integrated care for patients, which delivers high-quality urgent and emergency care alongside planned routine and specialist services.

Please pledge your support here.

Pictured far left Nicola Brewer, with members of the OFH team and developers for our admin centre Yeo View, opening soon