HospitalCheck

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Exeter, EX2 5DW · Compare with another trust

At a glance

Whether this trust meets each official NHS operational standard — not a combined score or ranking.

Waiting times
Below NHS standard
63.6% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
65.7% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
68.3% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
38.3% waiting 6+ weeks · standard 1.0% or fewer · About this data
Mortality (SHMI)
As expected
Screening indicator, not a death rate — a prompt to investigate, not proof of poor care · About this data

In plain English

AI-generated

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust reported 18,933 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 65.7% of patients treated within four hours. In June 2026, the median waiting time for treatment was 12.4 weeks, and 63.6% of patients were seen within 18 weeks of referral. Staff satisfaction regarding treatment for friends or relatives was 73.6% in the 2025 NHS Staff Survey.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 17 August 2026. This is a plain-English summary, not medical advice. About these summaries

Hospitals run by this trust

Trust performance

Treated or seen within 18 weeks
63.6%
National median: 66.3%
3.0 pts vs yr agoBetter than 30% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
12.4 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
1.3 wks vs yr agoBetter than 35% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
74,021
National median: 39,587
281 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
1,536
National median: 358.5
773 vs yr agoBetter than 10% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
65.7%
National median: 74.2%
4.7 pts vs yr agoBetter than 15% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
18,933
National median: 14,642
617 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
222
National median: 194
91 vs yr agoBetter than 46% of trustsData: Jul 2026

A&E performance

Latest month: July 2026· all A&E department types combined — the official headline basis.

A&E attendances
18,933
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
65.7%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
222
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
5,110
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
13,921
Seen within 4 hours
53.4%

The all-types headline above includes minor-injury units and urgent treatment centres (Type 3), which typically report much higher 4-hour performance and lift the combined figure. This narrower figure covers only the main, consultant-led A&E department— Type 1 in NHS England's classification.

Department typeAttendancesWithin 4 hours
All types (official headline)18,93365.7%
Type 1 — major A&E13,92153.4%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC5,01299.9%

Source: NHS England A&E Attendances & Emergency Admissions. About this data

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
80.4%
3,254 of 4,048 treated in time
Target 75% · meets target
Treatment within 62 days
68.3%
300 of 440 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
89.7%
747 of 833 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%68.3%72.2%April 202575.8%May 202573.7%June 202575.5%July 202578.5%August 202574.9%September 202572.2%October 202579.2%November 202583.7%December 202572.9%January 202672.1%February 202671.0%March 202667.8%April 202664.6%May 202668.3%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
75%80%85%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%80.4%83.3%April 202580.9%May 202581.8%June 202582.3%July 202582.5%August 202580.3%September 202582.2%October 202581.7%November 202584.3%December 202577.8%January 202683.3%February 202681.6%March 202679.2%April 202680.3%May 202680.4%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
85%90%95%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%89.7%92.0%April 202586.9%May 202585.7%June 202588.8%July 202589.9%August 202593.8%September 202595.8%October 202593.5%November 202596.3%December 202593.5%January 202696.6%February 202694.6%March 202693.4%April 202692.5%May 202689.7%June 2026

Source: NHS England Cancer Waiting Times. The 62-day standard is urgent referral to first treatment; the 28-day faster-diagnosis standard is referral to diagnosis or ruling-out. About this data

Patient experience (Friends & Family Test)

Latest month: June 2026· a voluntary, monthly feedback survey — the figure is the share of respondents who rated their experience 'good' or 'very good'. Response rates are often low and respondents are self-selected, not a representative sample, so read this alongside the clinical measures above, not on its own.

Inpatient care
% would recommend
99.4%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
0.4%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
510
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
3.6%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
92.9%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
0.0%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
14
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
0.1%
Responses as a share of those eligible

Source: NHS England Friends & Family Test. About this data

Staff experience (NHS Staff Survey)

2025 · the views of staff who work at this trust — a measure of workforce culture, morale and confidence, not a direct measure of clinical outcomes. There is no official NHS target for these figures, so they are shown as context, never a pass or fail.

Staff happy for a friend or relative to be treated here
73.6%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▲ 0.3 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.85
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
62.9%
Agreed · 2025

The NHS Staff Survey records the views of staff who chose to respond — a measure of workforce culture, morale and staff confidence, not a direct measure of clinical outcomes or safety. Response rates vary between trusts. England only; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate staff surveys on a different basis, so these figures are never compared across nations.

Source: NHS Staff Survey (NHS England), Open Government Licence. About this data

Cancelled operations

Quarter ending 30 June 2026· last-minute cancellations for NON-CLINICAL reasons (no bed, no staff, an emergency taking priority) — not cancellations chosen by the patient or on clinical grounds. It's a raw count, so larger trusts naturally cancel more in absolute terms — read this alongside the other measures above, not on its own.

Last-minute cancellations
280
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
23
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
8.2%
share of cancelled ops without a new date inside 28 days

Source: NHS England (QMCO). About this data

Bed occupancy, ambulance handovers & delayed discharges (UEC Daily SitRep)

Snapshot at 8am, 29 March 2026. This is unvalidated management information— NHS England's own label — and can be revised for up to 14 days after first publication. It is collected only during the winter Daily SitRep window, so this is the latest date the collection has published, not necessarily today. It measures operational pressure (how full the hospital is), NOT care quality — high occupancy is normal for NHS hospitals, especially in winter, and is not a safety or performance score. The ambulance-handover figures below cover winter 2025-26 as a period total(not a snapshot): the time from an ambulance arriving to the patient being handed over to A&E staff. The delayed-discharge figures cover the most recent 7 daysof the collection (not a snapshot, and not the whole winter): a patient who "no longer meets the criteria to reside" is medically ready to leave hospital, but how quickly they actually do mostly reflects social-care and community capacity to receive them — NOT the hospital's own clinical quality. A higher handover or delayed-discharge figure means more operational pressure — like the rest of this section, none of it is a measure of care quality, and it carries no colour grading, badge or ranking.

Adult general & acute bed occupancy
93.0%
1,013 occupied of 1,089 open
Adult critical care occupancy
73.1%
19 occupied of 26 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
31.4%
of 19,863 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
2.1%
of 19,863 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
154
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
49%
of 2,131 who no longer met the criteria to reside, week to 29 March 2026

Source: NHS England UEC Daily SitRep, Ambulance Handover and Acute Discharge SitRep collections. About this data

Never Events (patient safety)

Financial year 2025/26 · Never Events are rare, serious, wholly-preventable incidents. This is a RAW count for 2025/26— it is NOT adjusted for how much surgery the trust does, and NHS England publishes it to prompt learning, NOT to compare trusts. A higher number is a prompt to look at the trust's own review, not proof it is less safe than a trust with fewer.

Never Events reported
8
Occurring in FY 2025/26 · not a comparative safety score

Source: NHS England. About this data

Maternity — patient experience

CQC National Maternity Survey, 2025 · scores are relative comparisons against other trusts, not a measure of absolute quality — based on 153 voluntary respondents (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). A lower score is a prompt to look closer, not proof of poor care.

Response rate
50.5%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
153
Of 303 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.9/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
8.9/10
About the same as most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
8.8/10
About the same as most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
6.9/10
About the same as most trusts
Confidence & trust in your midwife (postnatal care at home)
8.9/10
Better than most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.9/10
About the same as most trusts

Source: Care Quality Commission — National Maternity Survey. About this data

Stroke care (SSNAP audit)

Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, latest quarter to 2026· the SSNAP level (A best .. E) is the audit's own published grade for the quality of this team's acute stroke-care PROCESSES, adjusted for case-mix, case ascertainment and audit compliance — it is not a guarantee of any individual patient's outcome. England only; SSNAP also covers Wales and Northern Ireland.

East Devon Community Stroke Rehab Unit
C60.0/100
SW Peninsula
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Specialist pathwayA
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeE
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A
North Devon District Hospital
D47.5/100
SW Peninsula
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentD
Specialist pathwayE
ReperfusionE
MDT assessmentB
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyC
Standards by dischargeA
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A
Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital
D50.0/100
SW Peninsula
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentD
Specialist pathwayC
ReperfusionC
MDT assessmentB
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeD
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A

Source: Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (Royal College of Physicians). About this data

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · National Hip Fracture Database, 2023audit year · "Met best-practice criteria" is the audit's own composite measure of hip-fracture care PROCESSES at each hospital this trust runs.

North Devon District HospitalBest-practice 0.0%304 cases

Source: National Hip Fracture Database (Royal College of Physicians). About this data

Patient experience — inpatient care

CQC Adult Inpatient Survey, 2024 · scores are 0-10, and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the CQC 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 523 voluntary respondents (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
44.6%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
523
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
7.9/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Cleanliness of your room or ward
9.4/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors
9.4/10
National average: 9.0/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
9.1/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Enough nurses on duty
7.9/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care and treatment
7.4/10
National average: 7.2/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough privacy when examined or treated
9.5/10
National average: 9.4/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough notice about when you would leave hospital
7.0/10
National average: 6.9/10
About the same as the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
6.8/10
National average: 6.7/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality CommissionCQC Adult Inpatient Survey. About this data

Patient experience — A&E (urgent & emergency care)

CQC Urgent & Emergency Care Survey (A&E), 2024 · scores are 0-10, and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the CQC 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 282 voluntary respondents who attended a major (type 1) A&E department (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
30.9%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
282
Of 950 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
8.2/10
National average: 7.3/10
Better than the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
3.2/10
National average: 2.6/10
About the same as the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
4.7/10
National average: 3.4/10
Better than the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
8.6/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses
8.7/10
National average: 8.1/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care
8.3/10
National average: 7.4/10
Better than the national average
Test results explained before you left
8.0/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
8.6/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
7.9/10
National average: 6.8/10
Better than the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
9.0/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality CommissionCQC Urgent & Emergency Care Survey (A&E). About this data

Patient experience — cancer care

National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, 2025 · scores are the % of patients giving the most positive answer (and an overall 0–10 rating), and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the survey's 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 1,525 patients treated for cancer by this trust (a question is only shown here where at least 10 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
1,525
Who took part
Overall rating of care
9.1/10
National average: 8.9/10
Better than the national average
Cancer diagnosis explained understandably
81%
National average: 78%
Better than the national average
Easy to contact your main contact person
89%
National average: 84%
Better than the national average
Involved as much as wanted in treatment decisions
82%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
84%
National average: 78%
Better than the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
90%
National average: 88%
Better than the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
77%
National average: 74%
Better than the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
70%
National average: 65%
Better than the national average
The whole care team worked well together
92%
National average: 89%
Better than the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
49%
National average: 45%
Better than the national average

Source: NHS England (survey run by Picker on its behalf)National Cancer Patient Experience Survey. About this data

Hip & knee replacement — patient outcomes (PROMs)

Financial year 2024-25(finalised) · patients having a primary hip or knee replacement voluntarily score their health before and after surgery. The average gain shown is adjusted for differences between patients (case-mix) — it is not a raw before/after difference and not a ranking, so read it alongside the patient numbers.

Hip replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
24.2
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 25.6
Patients
107
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
99.1%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.51
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale
Knee replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
19.1
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 19.6
Patients
166
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
97.6%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.35
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale

Source: NHS England PROMs (hip & knee replacement). About this data

Diagnostic test waits

Latest month: June 2026. The operational standard is that under 1% should wait more than 6 weeks.

Waiting 6+ weeks for a test
38.3%
of 21,314 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
DEXA Scan1,60064.3%1,028780
Urodynamics21358.7%12567
Respiratory physiology69747.3%330100
Audiology2,25344.7%1,006304
MRI4,77944.1%2,109776
Cardiology2,48143.5%1,079296
Colonoscopy84236.1%30446
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy30434.5%10514
Ultrasound4,55430.1%1,369308
Cystoscopy32129.6%9524
Neurophysiology72927.3%19918
Gastroscopy71924.9%17913
CT scan1,76712.9%22817
Barium Enema551.8%10
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
30%40%Apr 25Jan 2638.3%42.6%April 202544.9%May 202544.2%June 202544.6%July 202547.2%August 202546.7%September 202540.3%October 202537.0%November 202539.5%December 202538.4%January 202630.6%February 202632.3%March 202634.9%April 202638.6%May 202638.3%June 2026

Source: NHS England Diagnostic Waiting Times & Activity (DM01). About this data

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Mar 2026.

As expected
0.97
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 3,490 deaths vs 3,615 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
1.001.10Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)0.971.04December 20181.03January 20191.02February 20191.03March 20191.03April 20191.04May 20191.07June 20191.08July 20191.10August 20191.10September 20191.13October 20191.12November 20191.12December 20191.13January 20201.11February 20201.09March 20201.08April 20201.07May 20201.05June 20201.04July 20201.03August 20201.02September 20200.99October 20200.99November 20200.99December 20200.98January 20210.96February 20210.97March 20210.97April 20210.95May 20210.95June 20210.95July 20210.96August 20210.96September 20210.95October 20210.95November 20210.98December 20210.99January 20220.96February 20220.96March 20220.97April 20220.97May 20220.97June 20220.98July 20220.99August 20220.98September 20220.98October 20220.98November 20220.97December 20220.96January 20230.95February 20230.96March 20230.96April 20230.97May 20230.96June 20230.95July 20230.95August 20230.96September 20230.96October 20230.96November 20230.95December 20230.96January 20240.95February 20240.97March 20240.96April 20240.96May 20240.97June 20240.95July 20240.95August 20240.95September 20240.96October 20240.96November 20240.97December 20240.97January 20250.99February 20250.95March 20250.95April 20250.96May 20250.95June 20250.96July 20250.97August 20250.97September 20250.97October 20250.97November 20250.96December 20250.96January 20260.95February 20260.97March 2026

The SHMI compares the number of deaths after hospital care with the number expected given patients' characteristics. It is not a death rate and a higher value is a prompt to investigate, not proof of poor care. Source: NHS England. About this data

Waiting times by specialty

Data: June 2026 · Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics (incomplete pathways)

SpecialtyWaitingWithin 18 wksMedian wait9 in 10 wait under52+ wks65+ wks78+ wks
Trauma and Orthopaedic10,30348.8%18.6 wks48.6 wks551863
Ophthalmology8,92762.8%13.1 wks40.8 wks16090
Other - Medicals7,56773.1%10.1 wks34.4 wks13520
Other - Surgicals6,54467.4%11.0 wks38.6 wks146132
Cardiology5,81356.7%14.9 wks42.2 wks173222
Dermatology5,57067.7%9.0 wks39.2 wks1400
Gynaecology5,08960.4%13.7 wks41.6 wks9260
Ear Nose and Throat4,85752.7%16.9 wks39.0 wks7300
Urology3,53165.6%11.3 wks39.1 wks102291
Oral Surgery3,12767.9%11.2 wks34.0 wks1230
Gastroenterology2,42986.3%7.1 wks21.3 wks100
Respiratory Medicine2,02971.9%9.8 wks33.6 wks600
Other - Others1,88975.3%7.9 wks33.7 wks1000
Neurology1,70363.6%13.3 wks32.3 wks1410
Other - Paediatrics1,35865.7%11.6 wks37.7 wks810
Plastic Surgery1,21769.5%9.9 wks34.2 wks820
Rheumatology81885.3%8.0 wks21.7 wks100
General Surgery80760.8%14.1 wks45.6 wks2910
Elderly Medicine32886.3%7.2 wks22.0 wks100
General Internal Medicine11562.6%11.4 wks31.8 wks000

Figures come from NHS England's official monthly statistics and the CQC directory, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See methodology for definitions.