How we are reducing waiting times

We are doing all we can to see more patients each day and reduce waiting times.

Here is some of the latest news about our work to recover waiting lists:

• Nightingale Hospital Exeter sees major milestone reached with cataract operations
• Successful glaucoma clinic pilot will mean patients are seen quicker
• Major expansion of robotic surgery at the Royal Devon
• NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter awarded for commitment to patient safety by the National Joint Registry
• Ground-breaking work continues as NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter helps to further reduce Devon’s waiting lists

What we’re doing to support you:

• Recruiting additional staff

• Creating additional spaces for care

• South West Orthopaedic Ambulatory Centre (SWAOC) at the NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter has increased capacity for hip and knee replacement surgery and is being held up as a national exemplar for hip and knee replacements

• Cataract surgery at Centre of Excellence for Eyes (CEE) at the Nightingale has helped reduce waiting lists by 90%

• Using community hospitals to provide additional capacity. For example we provide cataract surgery at Axminster, South Molton Eye Hub opened in May 2023 to provide state-of-the-art services for medical retina and glaucoma patients, and we have developed a urology investigation unit at Ottery St Mary Hospital which provides extra outpatient capacity, and a procedure room for some urological diagnostic and surgical treatment.

• Transforming the way we deliver care

• Patient initiated follow ups (PIFU) to help people manage their long-term conditions.

• Running clinics differently, by holding things like evening clinics, super Saturdays, one-stop-shops and virtual appointments to see more patients and reduce waiting lists.

• Accessing capacity beyond our Trust:
  • NHS patients who meet certain criteria are being offered available Independent Sector capacity across the region (Exeter, Torbay, Plymouth), which may mean they can have their treatment sooner.
  • We are also working across Devon and nationally to explore where there are shorter waiting times for certain specialities and we may be able to offer transfer to patients
  • In addition to this, in England NHS patients have the right to request to move to a different hospital to receive their care/treatment if they have been waiting longer than 18 weeks. You can find out more about this here.