Hospital charity hits £1.4m Super Theatre Appeal target

A fundraising appeal for a new state-of-the-art operating theatre at the Royal Devon & Exeter (Wonford) Hospital has hit its £1.4million target in less than 18 months.

The money raised through Royal Devon Hospitals Charity’s (RDHC) Super Theatre Appeal has paid for ultra-modern imaging technology set to revolutionise surgery for thousands of patients across Devon.

The new theatre, known as a hybrid theatre, is already delivering safer, faster and more precise surgery at the hospital. 

With construction completed just before Christmas, it enables surgeons to perform complex, minimally invasive procedures with real-time image guidance, improving outcomes for those with serious vascular conditions, such as aneurysms, arterial blockages and blood clots. 

The technology reduces the need for open surgery, multiple operations and travel out of area. It is estimated that it will enable the hospital to treat around 1,200 extra patients a year, reducing waiting times for everyone, including cancer and urgent surgery patients. 

Hannah Travers, Consultant Vascular Surgeon, said: “For patients, it means fewer procedures, reduced risk of complications, faster recovery times after surgery, and less time spent in hospital. 

“For the surgical team at the Royal Devon, it means we can deliver the care that we were trained to give using the most modern and advanced surgical techniques. 

“The new theatre is an absolute game-changer and we are so grateful to the local community for helping us to deliver this life-saving facility.” 

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust secured £5.1m of national NHS funds to build the theatre, with the hospital charity raising the money for the imaging technology that goes beyond what the NHS is funded to provide. 

Lucy Ashton, RDHC Head of Charity, said the charity was proud to have made such a vital contribution to help make the project a reality. 

“We can’t thank the local community enough for rallying behind this appeal and helping us to deliver an incredible new facility that will save lives and do so much to enhance patient care for generations to come,” she said.

“Our fundraising appeal only went live in October 2024 and came hot off the back of a successful appeal to support a new Children’s ED area at the hospital, so to have been able to raise so such money in such a short amount of time is simply phenomenal.

“This has been one of the charity’s biggest-ever fundraising initiatives to date and shows what we can achieve together to enhance patient care beyond what’s possible with NHS funding alone.

“We are excited to be able to share more about the theatre and the impact it’s already having over the coming months and are busy planning an official celebratory launch event later in the year.”

Sam Higginson, Royal Devon Chief Executive, said the NHS is facing significant challenges with waiting times and the new theatre will free up space across the 10 existing theatres at RD&E (Wonford).

“We have made significant progress in reducing our waiting lists, but we still have patients waiting much longer to be treated than any of us would like,” he said. 

“We prioritised funding towards the building of the new operating theatre to ensure thousands of our patients can get the care they need in the right place, at the right time.

“The money raised by our hospital charity has helped us to make the best of this new space and make it a truly ‘super’ by equipping it with the latest technology that could not be afforded within the Trust’s annual capital allocation