Carolyn MillsClinician

Biography

Carolyn Mills is Chief Nursing Officer at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, an NHS foundation trust serving over 615,000 people across Devon, operating the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and North Devon District Hospital. She sits on the Trust's executive board and is the CQC-registered Nominated Individual for the organisation's regulated services. From 2014 to 2021 she was Chief Nurse at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, where she gained experience of merging two organisations. She also holds executive lead responsibility for safeguarding across the Trust. In 2026 she was widely quoted in national press coverage of the temporary suspension of birthing services at North Devon District Hospital, speaking publicly about patient safety, maternity workforce pressures, and the Trust's recovery programme.

References

1. 1.Executive Directors – NHS Royal Devon — Confirms Carolyn Mills as Chief Nursing Officer and documents her prior role as Chief Nurse at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (2014–2021)
2. 2.Nursing and Maternity – NHS Royal Devon — Carolyn Mills identifies herself as Chief Nursing Officer for the Royal Devon and describes the trust's nursing workforce serving over 615,000 people
3. 3.Safeguarding – NHS Royal Devon — Confirms Mills as Chief Nursing Officer and Executive Lead for Safeguarding
4. 4.Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (Wonford) – Care Quality Commission — Identifies Carolyn Mills as the CQC Nominated Individual for regulated services at the trust
5. 5.North Devon maternity unit will temporarily shut despite last ditch rescue effort – ITV News West Country

Expertise

Cited on

• Maternity & neonatal

Stated areas of expertise

• Nursing workforce and recruitment
• Maternity and midwifery services
• Patient safety
• Safeguarding
• NHS trust merger and integration
• Provider sustainability

Notable achievements

• Led nursing across University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust from 2014 to 2021, including through its merger from University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and Weston Area Health Trust. Source ↗
• Named as CQC Nominated Individual responsible for regulated services at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford) and North Devon District Hospital. Source ↗
• Appointed Executive Lead for Safeguarding at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust alongside her CNO role. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “Unfortunately, we have now reached the point where we cannot safely provide the level of medical cover required to continue births at North Devon district hospital.”

  Chief nursing officer at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · Maternity & neonatal · 12 Aug 2026 · ‘Babies will be born in laybys’: maternity cuts leave women with stark choices in Devon ↗

Source references

1. ‘Babies will be born in laybys’: maternity cuts leave women with stark choices in Devontheguardian.com · 12 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.royaldevon.nhs.uk/about-us/board-of-directors/executive-directors/
• Press office phone01392 411611published here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.