Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We looked for evidence that people were always treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity was respected, that they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take people’s wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

At our last assessment we rated this key question as good. However it was combined with the diagnostic imaging and was under a different methodology. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

The service was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Patients told us staff treated them well and acted professionally. During our observations, interactions between staff and patients were consistently courteous, respectful and polite.

For example, we were told of a patient who was nervous about attending their appointment and staff offered them the opportunity for a couple of visits to orientate them to the hospital. This resulted in them feeling comfortable in attending their outpatient appointment. Other patients said staff couldn’t have been more caring.

Feedback from patients was positive and reflected a kind and compassionate approach to care. Patient survey results from quarter 4 of 2025 showed all respondents (100%) said staff always maintained their privacy and dignity when they were examined or treated.

Staff maintained the confidentiality of information about patients. Information about individual patients was stored on the provider’s electronic recording system. Patients spoke with staff in individual consulting rooms and information could not be overheard.

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

We observed all staff treating people in a respectful manner from booking in at reception to the end of the outpatient session. We observed staff engaging with patients and checking patient’s wellbeing. We observed staff helping people who used services to navigate to the right areas.

The service made reasonable adjustments for patients and tried to accommodate specific requests for appointment times. There was a wheelchair available for patients use which was stored in the Physiotherapy Department.

Staff told us information leaflets could be translated into different languages and large print. There were induction loop systems available which enhanced sound clarity for people who were using hearing aids. Staff said people had accessed the service with therapy and guide dogs.

The service had a wellbeing room which could be used by staff and patients as a quiet space for reflection and prayer.

Staff had completed training in equality, diversity, and human rights, as well as dementia and autism awareness, which formed part of the mandatory training programme. This supported staff to provide person-centred, inclusive, and responsive care to meet individual needs.

A Patient-led assessments of the care environment (PLACE) was carried out in 2025. This showed the service site overall score was 92% which was above the national average of 86%. For disability the site was rated 88% which was above the national average of 87%. A PLACE assessment is designed to evaluate the quality of the hospital environment and ensure it meets the needs of patients.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff provided patients with clear information about what to expect before treatment and how to prepare. We observed medical and nursing staff taking time to explain treatment options in a straightforward manner, checking each patient’s understanding and ensuring they felt fully informed.

People using the service could be supported by family or friends during their consultation. Patients were offered a chaperone, and posters in patient areas highlighted this option. Chaperones helped maintain dignity during intimate examinations or procedures and provided emotional reassurance.

During appointments, doctors involved patients in discussions about their treatment options and worked with them to agree care plans. For example, one consultant used a model and visual aids to support their explanation and checked the patient’s understanding. They talked about realistic expectations of what the surgery could achieve, and the next steps should they wish to optimise their outcomes.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes.

Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. The service worked with patients to understand and manage risks.

The environment supported comfort and convenience, with hot drink machines and water coolers available in waiting areas for patients and relatives. Where people were required to stay in the department longer than expected, staff offered refreshments, ensuring patients felt cared for and their basic needs were met. Patients were directed to speak to a member of staff if they had been waiting for longer than 15 minutes.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff had access to wellbeing, health and financial support. They could access membership to the provider’s gyms to support their wellbeing. The hospital had wellbeing champions who were trained mental health first aiders to support staff. There was a wellbeing room for staff, and the service provided discounted food.

The service responded and listened to staff concerns. In a staff survey carried out in November and December 2025 staff reported that they found their workload unmanageable. In response, the service recruited 3 bank nurses and 1 permanent healthcare assistant to strengthen staffing capacity and to support staff workloads.

Leaders also told us they were exploring the appointment of a dedicated healthcare assistant role to support optimisation clinics. Despite workload pressures, the same staff survey showed positive results for inclusion, with the organisation scoring highly against the statement, “where I work people of all backgrounds are valued for who they are”.

Most staff reported they felt supported by their line management. We observed the daily safety huddle and the heads of department huddle, where staff were recognised for their work.