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Latest news from the Royal Devon: June 2025
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Latest news for our members and stakeholders |
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June 2025 |
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This newsletter aims to keep you, our members and stakeholders, updated with the latest news from across the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. |
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In this update |
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Other news
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Minister for Health Karin Smyth visits North Devon District Hospital We were delighted to welcome the Minister for Health Karin Smyth MP to North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) on Monday 23 June, to see first-hand the need for targeted phased investment in the NDDH ahead of the full hospital rebuild plan expected to start no later than 2038. Minister Smyth toured the hospital, meeting with colleagues. In particular she was shown our operating theatres and intensive care unit, and heard more about the critical need to redevelop these areas much earlier in the interests of both the taxpayer and the people of North Devon. Recently the government committed to an early investment of £30m to support the rebuild of our 50-year-old staff accommodation block and increasing our MRI capacity. Both of these are much needed and will help us to attract the best clinicians to North Devon as well as helping us to reduce diagnostic waiting times. Dame Shan Morgan, Chair at the Royal Devon said: “I am delighted to have been able to have such a positive conversation with Minister Smyth about the real need for further investment in NDDH. We look forward to continuing to work together with the Department for Health and Social Care to deliver a hospital that meets the needs of our patients and staff.” Read more on our website here.  
Minister for Health Karin Smyth MP meeting staff at North Devon District Hospital |
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Nightingale Hospital’s Buttercup Unit celebrates one year of changing lives
Our Buttercup Outpatient Unit at Nightingale Hospital Exeter marked its first birthday on Wednesday 28 May, with a special celebration for volunteers and staff. The Buttercup Unit is the Devon Diagnostic Centre’s outpatient department which supports a new one stop clinic approach. Since opening in May 2024, the Buttercup Unit has welcomed over 11,000 patients across a range of specialties and has:
Find out more and hear from our staff and volunteers about the difference Buttercup is making for patients here. 
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What did your Governors achieve in 2024/25?
Our Council of Governors has been busy over the past year representing you and your interests. The Council has an important role, collectively holding the Non-Executive Directors to account and being the voice of staff, patients and our communities in conversation with our Board of Directors. Watch the video below to find out what they’ve helped us to achieve over the past year.
Following our Southern constituency by-election to the Council of Governors held this April, we were pleased to welcome four new public governors. Thank you to all the candidates who stood in the Southern constituency (Exeter, Teignbridge, Torbay, South Hams, and Plymouth) by-election, and welcome to our new governors Maureen, Jacqueline, Matthew and Elizabeth, who will all be doing their best to represent our members in our Southern constituency and their interests. 
Pictured left to right: Maureen, Jacqueline, Matthew, Elizabeth Find out more about your new public governors on our website. Did you know… that you can become a Governor at the Royal Devon? Find out more about our Council of Governors here. |
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Thank you for your nominations and to our sponsors for making our Extraordinary People Awards possible
Thank you for all your nominations for our Extraordinary People Awards 2025. We received nearly 400 nominations for staff and volunteers at the Trust – our judging panels will have a hard time choosing finalists from all the very deserving nominees. We will celebrate their achievements at an awards ceremony at Sandy Park in Exeter later this year thanks to support from the corporate sponsors we have confirmed so far. The Royal Devon’s Staff Lottery is our headline sponsor for this year’s awards. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Nevada Construction, who are returning for a fourth year as a GOLD sponsor. Generous support is also coming from SILVER sponsors EX2 Group, Tusker, Denhams Digital, Westcountry Maintenance Services, and Dartline. We’re also really grateful for contributions from Moore-Wilson and Serve and Protect Credit Union. 
Find out more here. |
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Royal Devon colleague recognised in King’s Birthday Honours
Carole was recognised for her career-long dedication to the Advanced Critical Care Practitioner (ACCP) role, and life-changing work with ICU patients and their families. “It’s overwhelming and very humbling. I’m really honoured and grateful to have even been considered,” said Carole. “This is the first time to my knowledge someone in my role has been recognised in this way and it’s wonderful to shine a light on the difference ACCPs make to intensive care unit teams, our patients and their families.” Carole started her career as an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse and has remained actively involved in clinical care at the bedside as an ACCP for the last 20 years. She currently leads a team of ACCPs in Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital’s ICU. |
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Our HERO: Pilton Bluecoat C of E Junior School name NDDH robot Last month we were delighted to welcome students and staff from the Pilton Bluecoat C of E Junior School to North Devon District Hospital (NDDH). Ms Lizzy Elsey, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon visited the school earlier this year and gave an interactive presentation about the Intuitive DaVinci Xi robot used for a range of complex surgical procedures at NDDH. The students were invited to visit the robot in person and spend time at the medical education centre, trying some laparoscopic (key-hole) tasks. The school’s team of digital champions, aged 7 – 11, then took part in a competition to name the robot and voted HERO (Helping Every Robotic Operator) as the winner, reflecting the life changing work we’re able to do with HERO’s. 
Students and staff from Pilton Bluecoat C of E Academy with the Intuitive DaVinci Xi robot in the main theatre at NDDH. |
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One Eastern Devon enters new chapter in leadership journey
Cllr Ian Hall said, “This has been one of the most fulfilling roles I have taken on in my time as a county councillor. Over the last couple of years I feel that the partnership has now gained real traction and I look forward to see it going from strength to strength as it seeks to reduce health inequalities.” The One Eastern Devon (OED) partnership is an alliance of local government, public sector organisations, the NHS, the voluntary sector, faith groups and universities/ higher education institutions who have come together to tackle some of the key health and wellbeing issues facing communities across Eastern Devon. Read more about the leadership change here. |
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Honiton’s minor injuries unit returning to hospital
Honiton’s minor injuries unit is returning to the hospital from Saturday 5 July, following the upcoming completion of improvement works. The temporary MIU service at Ottery St Mary will close at 8pm on Thursday 3 July, before reopening at Honiton on Saturday. Please note there will be no MIU service at either hospital on Friday 4 July, to allow for the move to take place. 
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Share your feedback on our complaints process Have you raised a complaint with the Royal Devon? Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion for people using health and social care in Devon and is inviting feedback on our complaints process. This is an opportunity for patients, families and carers to share their experiences of making a complaint, including what has worked well and what improvements could be made. Your feedback will be anonymous and help shape a more effective, responsive, and compassionate complaints process. For further information and to share your views please contact Healthwatch on 0800 520 0640 (9am-4pm Mon to Thurs) or email: info@hwdpt.org. 
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Celebrating our amazing volunteers during Volunteers Week To mark this year’s Volunteers’ Week, which took place from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 June, we shone a light on the incredible work our volunteers do across Royal Devon and thanked them for the vital and selfless service they provide. In the past year, our volunteers have given over 28,000 hours of their time and it's made an incredible difference. There are lots of different volunteering roles across the Trust, and we are so grateful for all the volunteers do, brightening the days of our patients, visitors and staff. We are currently recruiting for 25 new volunteers in a number of roles across our services, and are accepting applications until Wednesday 16 July 2025. Find out more about becoming a volunteer and the roles available here. 
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Your stories: listening to your experiences Patient stories provide us with an opportunity to hear what it’s like to receive care from us. These stories are heard and discussed at our Board of Directors meetings and shared with staff across the Trust. The Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) units at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and North Devon District Hospital provide a service that delivers urgent care to patients, enabling them to receive the right treatment on the same day and often return home without the need for an overnight stay. This patient story features two patients, one who was referred directly by their GP and the other who was transferred from the Emergency Department. Both patients describe their experience of care and why returning home the same day was important to them. You can watch the film by clicking on the image below:
SDEC services help free up bed capacity for acutely unwell patients and improve patient flow in the Emergency Department, reducing waiting times. The Board discussed how the intended expansion and revision of both SDEC facilities will help the Trust to deliver timely, effective patient care. You’ll see more stories in future issues of this newsletter and you can view other patient stories on our website. |
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Admiral nursing team This month we sat down with Rachel Oakley, Admiral Nurse at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Angela Walter, Admiral Nurse Lead at North Devon District Hospital and Rachel Johnstone, regional account manager at Dementia UK, South West, to find out more about what the team do and how they support families affected by dementia. Why is the team so important? One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime - either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both. It can be exhausting and overwhelming, not only for the person with dementia, but also for the people caring for them, and their wider family and friends. Admiral Nurses are there when people need them most, providing health advice, offering compassionate emotional and psychological support, and helping families with the most complex needs and challenges. How does the team support patients and families? Admiral Nurses work intensively with families and using their specialist nursing skills, they assess the physical and mental health of both the person living with dementia and the carer in order to devise a care plan, which includes anticipating the care families might require in the future. 
Read the full article here.
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Royal Devon Hospitals Charity news Find out how you can support the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity here. |
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Raising money to support staff wellbeing The charity is proud to be supporting Team Royal Devon Week 2025, which runs from Monday 30 June to Sunday 6 July. This special week is a great way to thank and celebrate Royal Devon staff and the fantastic work they do. In 2024/25, the charity provided just over £500,000 in funding for a range of projects and activities to help enhance staff experience including:
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BIG Getaway Raffle launched in aid of Super Theatre Appeal We have launched a BIG Getaway Raffle in aid of our Super Theatre Appeal. There are luxury lodge, glamping and shepherd’s hut breaks to be won – and much more! Tickets are £2 each and all the money raised will go towards a brand new ‘super theatre’ that will revolutionise surgery for thousands of patients across Devon. The theatre is being built at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and once open, it will enable clinicians to perform complex procedures and diagnostic imaging at the same time, reducing the need for open surgery, multiple operations and travel out of area. The BIG Getaway Raffle draw will take place on October 3, 2025. Tickets are available here. 
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Exciting opportunity to shape Devon’s Sexual Health Services Devon Sexual Health Partnership Board is seeking an independent voluntary Chair to help shape sexual health services in Devon. Find out more about the role and what’s involved here. Men's Health Strategy for England: call for evidence The Department of Health and Social Care is seeking the views of the public, as well as health and social care professionals, academics, employers and stakeholder organisations to inform a Men’s Health Strategy for England. |
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Follow the Trust on social media Follow our Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn pages for all our latest updates as they happen!
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2nd July 2025