Nightingale Hospital Exeter

Ratings

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Requires improvement

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

Date of assessment: 5 to 6 June 2025. Nightingale Hospital Exeter provides a range of NHS hospital services. This assessment looked at outpatients, surgery for orthopaedics and ophthalmology and diagnostic imaging as these services had not previously been inspected. The location was rated good overall.

In our assessment of all 3 services, we found the service had a good safety culture. The environment was safe, clean and fit for purpose. The service monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it and delivered effective evidence-based care and treatment. Staff communicated with patients with genuine kindness and compassion and protected patients’ dignity. The service worked to ensure that everyone could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The service was well-led and worked hard to share knowledge both locally and nationally.

However, for diagnostic imaging we found not all staff had received an appraisal, and some staff were not up to date with essential immediate resuscitation training. Senior staff were also unaware of some medicines management procedures which were not in line with best practice.

At this assessment we identified breaches of regulations for diagnostic imaging in relation to Regulation 12, Safe Care and Treatment and have asked the trust to provide an action plan.