The Royal Devon were thrilled to welcome Councillor Neil Davey, Tiverton Mayor, and Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead to officially open their brand-new endoscopy unit last week with a ribbon cutting ceremony, alongside our Chair Shan Morgan and Chris Tidman, Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

The £12.5m unit triples the capacity for endoscopies in Tiverton, providing an extra 5,600 procedures a year. The facility specialises in diagnostics and delivers services across East, Mid and North Devon.

The unit began welcoming patients in May and so far over 1600 patients have been seen and over 1700 endoscopic procedures carried out. Approximately 1000 of these have been part of a two-week cancer referral pathway to improve wait times to diagnosis.

The unit is a key part of the Royal Devon plans to recover endoscopy waiting lists and manage increasing waiting times.

Neal Davey, Tiverton Mayor, said: “I’m delighted to have the new endoscopy unit open and treating patients in the community. It’s fantastic to have Tiverton be the hub for this vital service.”

Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, said: “This is a truly amazing facility, making a real difference to peoples’ lives here in Mid Devon. These are exactly the kinds of services that should be delivered right in the heart of rural communities like ours. I’m excited to see the work that will be done here.”

Chris Tidman, Royal Devon Deputy Chief Executive Officer, said: “We know how important it is to our patients that they get a diagnosis quickly and can start treatment. This unit makes that possible, and I’m really proud of the difference it’s making already.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has played a part in delivering this project on time, on budget and to such a high standard – all the staff involved, the League of Friends and our partners Nevada Construction.”

The launch of the unit follows a year-long Diagnostic Recovery Programme of focused work to transform services. The Royal Devon achieved a 5% improvement in diagnostic performance in 2024 by creating more capacity, enhancing skills of staff through training, making clinics more efficient, and improving the monitoring and management of waiting lists.

Front row from left: Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead; Councillor Neal Davey, Tiverton Mayor; Dame Shan Morgan, Board Chair; Chris Tidman, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Dr John Rogers, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Clinical Lead for Endoscopy with Trust and Nevada Construction staff.