- NHS hospital
Nightingale Hospital Exeter
Assessment report published 14 October 2025
Contents
Ratings - Surgery
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 5 and 6 June 2025.
We conducted an on-site, comprehensive assessment visit of surgery for orthopaedics and ophthalmology at the Nightingale Hospital Exeter. This is part of Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. We assessed quality statements from the safe, effective, responsive, caring and well-led key questions. This is the first inspection since they registered with the Care Quality Commission in 2020. We rated this service as good overall.
The service fostered a good safety culture. The environment for patients and staff was clean and safe. The service continuously monitored and improved care using evidence-based practices. Staff treated patients with kindness, compassion, and respect. Care was accessible and responsive to individual needs. Leadership was effective and actively shared knowledge and innovations locally and nationally.
The Nightingale Hospital Exeter offers a range of orthopaedic, ophthalmology, diagnostic and rheumatology services to local people, helping to further reduce waiting times.
People's experience of this service
Patients and any family or carers with them were all overwhelmingly positive about the staff treating them with warmth and kindness and providing effective care and treatment. Patients told us, “All very good here, nice and quiet in the ward”, “very clean and staff excellent” and “all very quick here with eye surgery, good to be in and out, clear instructions on discharge, staff very good”.
Healthwatch had been contacted by people, and they provided the following feedback:
“Everything about my treatment was exceptional. The Staff at Nightingale Eye Department were and are wonderful as was the Dr and the operating Team. The reception staff were friendly and welcoming the ward clerk was lovely, it was a fantastic experience with the eye surgery (Cataract). the nursing staff are truly exceptional even when the machine broke down!! I can only say Thank You Nightingale Exeter.”
“I turned up to nightingale hospital very stressed and there was a lovely volunteer at the door who calmed me down and told me where I needed to go for my appointment.”
“Eye issues. Had to get the train as no parking. 25 minutes’ walk from the station to the hospital. Walking back with eyes dilated is a nightmare.”
Healthwatch is an independent statutory body, who listen to people’s feedback and report back to providers to improve standards of care.