Microbiology services to leave North Devon District Hospital earlier than planned

Microbiology services at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple are to move to Exeter from Monday, November 2, earlier than the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had planned.

The trust announced on Wednesday (October 21) that it would move the service from NDDH to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford) following its recent voluntary redundancy scheme. It said the decision was made “with service viability and patient safety as a priority”.

The service will then move on to a new consolidated laboratory at Gadeon House in Exeter next year, the trust said.

The trust confirmed that Blood Sciences and Microbiology services are now scheduled to move to Gadeon House in autumn 2027, delayed from the original target date of March 2027. It said the plan had been to maintain services across both acute sites, the RD&E and NDDH, until then.

Microbiology staff examine samples for bacteria, viruses and fungi to help doctors diagnose, treat, prevent and control infections, according to the trust’s website.

Asked whether any jobs would be lost as a result of the relocation, or whether all roles in Barnstaple were being safeguarded, the trust did not say.

In a statement, the trust told the Gazette: “As the Pathology redesign programme progresses, we are continuing to work through the implications of the changes with our staff and relevant stakeholders.

“Our priority is to support colleagues through the changes. Where roles are affected, we will work closely with individuals to explore appropriate options, including redeployment and relocation opportunities where available, and ensure colleagues are supported throughout the process.

“We will continue to keep staff informed as the programme develops and provide further information when appropriate.”

The trust said urgent and time-critical pathology services would remain on acute sites, in smaller laboratories, and that there would be no changes to where patients receive care because of the pathology redesign.

It said extended operating hours in Exeter and enhanced specimen transport arrangements had been developed “to maintain service quality and minimise any impact on turnaround times”. Bringing services together on one site would support workforce resilience and enable the service to operate more effectively, it said.

The trust said its aim was to make sure clinicians have the modern pathology support they need to provide the right patient care “in the right place, at the right time”. It said the national experience was that moving to larger, modern and automated laboratories improves the quality of service for users.

The wider programme

The trust announced in March that work had started on the first phase of its Pathology Consolidated Services Laboratory at Gadeon House. It said then that Blood Sciences and Microbiology services would move from the RD&E and NDDH to the new laboratory “from March 2027”, while urgent and emergency pathology services would remain at both acute sites in smaller laboratories.

It said at the time that current pathology facilities at both hospitals were “outdated, constrained, and no longer fit for modern, automated laboratory practice”, and that the programme had been approved by the trust board after an assessment of estate options, service needs, national policy and the needs of the Peninsula Pathology Network, which aims to create a sustainable model of pathology across the south-west peninsula.

The trust said moving pathology out of its acute sites would also allow new and improved clinical spaces to be developed there.