Staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital have raised £700 for Comic Relief by holding a Great Inter-Divisional Bake Off on Red Nose Day. Competition was fierce as staff from each division in the Trust – Specialist Services, Medicine and Surgery - put their culinary skills to the test and came up with all manner of baked confections for their divisional cake sales. Total proceeds from the cake sales have reached a fantastic £703. The teams were also asked to select their best looking and best tasting cakes to be presented to the executive tasting panel judges. The panel consisted of...
Owl Men, tame dragons and the Gruffalo are just some of the characters that young patients in Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital are getting to know better as part of a new scheme bringing the power of books and storytelling to seriously ill children. The RD&E successfully applied to the charity ReadWell, which uses money raised by local school children to fund a regular supply of brand new books and professional storytellers into the hospital. Schools around Devon who have supported the charity by running sponsored Readathons include Wystream Primary and West Exe School. ReadWell’s...
Several members of staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust have been recognised for their exceptional contribution to the hospital and its patients at the winter Extraordinary People Awards. The seasonal awards are a way of celebrating extraordinary staff that do exceptional things every day and often go above and beyond to provide high quality services. Nominations are made by fellow staff members who want to acknowledge the contribution of an individual or team, and the difficult decision of choosing a winner in each category is undertaken by a panel of judges. The...
Over 300 members of staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust have pledged their support for the #hellomynameis campaign during a week of engagement activities. The events were part of the national launch of the campaign on 2nd February, which saw over 100 NHS organisations across the country joining together to support the campaign.
The #hellomynameis campaign was created by Dr Kate Granger, a young hospital consultant from Yorkshire, to improve patient experience. Kate became frustrated with the number of staff who failed to introduce themselves to her when she was...
A new photography exhibition in the corridors of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital challenges its viewers to think differently about ageing.
The ‘Growing Old Competitively' exhibition by Alex Rotas features a series of photos of athletes in their 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s who still compete in international sporting events.
The exhibition has been organised by Exeter Health Care Arts, an ‘arts for health’ initiative designed to deliver a range of activities to improve the hospital environment, for patients, visitors and for staff. This inspirational exhibition fits into a...
Niki Cunningham, founder of the Harry Cunningham Trust, has donated a ‘Cuddle Cot’ to the Maternity Unit of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to enable bereaved parents to spend more time with their babies.
The Cuddle Cot is a cold pad that can be wrapped around a baby that has been stillborn or has been miscarried late in pregnancy. The Cuddle Cot keeps the baby cool, meaning parents can stay with their child for longer after it has passed away. This will give parents time to grieve and start to come to terms with their loss, as well as enabling other family members time to meet...
Staff and volunteers at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital are putting their knitting needles to good use knitting Twiddlemuffs for patients with dementia. And they are looking for more knitters to join them.
Twiddlemuffs are knitted woollen muffs with items such as ribbons, large buttons or textured fabrics attached that patients with dementia can twiddle in their hands whilst on the wards at the RD&E.
People with dementia often have restless hands and like something to keep them occupied. The Twiddlemuffs provide a source of visual, tactile and sensory stimulation at...
Dr Gretel Finch has been able to return to her career in research thanks to the help and support she received whilst volunteering at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E).
Having worked as a Research Scientist for many years, including posts at the BBSRC Institute of Food Research and the University of Bristol, Gretel took a career break to care for her young family. During this time she helped set up a breast feeding support group and trained as a Peer Support Counsellor.
In the summer of 2012, Gretel was keen to return to her research career but...
Patient Debbie Northway has raised over £200 as a thank you for the care she received at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital by holding a ‘Leg Party’.
Just over a year ago Debbie lost her leg above the knee and has since been attending the Exeter Mobility Centre for prosthetic and physiotherapy appointments.
She recently celebrated having her new prosthetic leg by throwing a ‘Leg Party’ for friends and family where she raised £105 for Exeter Mobility Centre and £105 for Otter Ward to say thank you to the staff who cared for her.
Local artists have again been brightening up the corridors of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital with their annual Friends and Family art exhibition.
Now in its 16th year, the exhibition has been organised by Exeter HealthCare Arts to showcase the work of the local arts community who have a connection to the hospital. The exhibitors include talented RD&E staff, outpatients and former patients, who have all loaned their work to help brighten up the hospital environment.
Exeter HealthCare Arts (EHCA) is the ‘arts for health’ project for the RD&E. It delivers a range...
