Dr Karen Davies: key facts
- Kind of voice
- Clinician
- Role
- Medical Director (Northern Services)
- Organisation based in
- Exeter
- Quoted on
- Maternity & neonatal
- Tracked press citations
- 4
- Most recently quoted
- 30 Sept 2026
Who Dr Karen Davies is
Dr Karen Davies served as Medical Director for Northern Services at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (RDUH), the large NHS foundation trust formed in April 2022 by the merger of the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust. In that role she held senior clinical leadership responsibility for services at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple and the wider northern services arm of the trust. In August 2026 she resigned from the post in protest at the trust's decision to suspend birthing services at the Ladywell maternity unit at North Devon District Hospital, stating she could not support the way the trust had handled the situation. In her resignation letter she reported having raised warnings about fragility, safety and culture in the northern maternity unit over the preceding two years, and stated that a proposal which could have avoided closure was not brought forward by the executive board. Prior to the merger she held the equivalent role as Medical Director of Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust (NDHT).
“the trust had "fundamentally failed the people of north Devon"”
References for this biography
- 1.Trust's top doctor resigns in protest over North Devon maternity services – North Devon Gazette — Confirms Dr Karen Davies's role as medical director at RDUH, her resignation in August 2026, and quotes from her resignation letter about maternity service concerns
- 2.Staff Contacts FOI Response RDF1106-22 – Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust — Confirms Karen Davies's title as Medical Director (Northern Services) at RDUH
- 3.Who's Who in the Royal Devon's Northern Services – Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust — Confirms Karen Davies's position as Medical Director – Northern Services within the trust's leadership structure
- 4.Medical director of vital NHS trust resigns over closed maternity wing – AOL / North Devon Journal — Corroborates resignation, quotes from resignation letter including concerns about maternity safety warnings being ignored
- 5.North Devon Healthcare Trust department awarded Academic status – North Devon Gazette — Confirms Dr Karen Davies held the Medical Director role at NDHT (predecessor organisation) and quotes her in that capacity
- 6.Health boss resigns over maternity unit closure – Yahoo News Canada / BBC — Corroborates resignation and quotes from resignation letter; confirms role title and trust name
Notable achievements
- As Medical Director of Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, championed the designation of the Upper GI and Abdominal Wall Surgery department at North Devon District Hospital as an Academic Department, recognising its research and education excellence. Source ↗
- Resigned as Medical Director (Northern Services) at RDUH in August 2026 in protest at the suspension of birthing services at North Devon District Hospital, publicly disclosing via her resignation letter that repeated warnings about maternity unit fragility and safety had not been acted upon by senior management. Source ↗
What Dr Karen Davies has said
“The decision to suspend birthing services at the hospital also led to the resignation of the trust's medical director Dr Karen Davies who said she could not 'support the way the trust has handled, and is handling, the maternity situation'.”
Medical Director at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · Maternity & neonatal · 29 Sept 2026 · North Devon maternity unit closure: What are the next steps? ↗
“I am leaving my job because I cannot support the way the trust has handled and is handling, the maternity situation.”
Medical director of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · Maternity & neonatal · 27 Aug 2026 · Trust’s top doctor resigns in protest over North Devon maternity services ↗
“We have known for several years that there have been concerns about fragility, as well as safety and culture, in the northern maternity unit.”
Medical director at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust · Maternity & neonatal · 27 Aug 2026 · Health boss resigns over maternity unit closure ↗
Where Dr Karen Davies has been quoted
- North Devon maternity service could reopen by end of Septemberbbc.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
- North Devon maternity unit closure: What are the next steps?bbc.com · 29 Sept 2026
- Trust’s top doctor resigns in protest over North Devon maternity servicesnorthdevongazette.co.uk · 27 Aug 2026
- Health boss resigns over maternity unit closurebbc.co.uk · 27 Aug 2026
Related media coverage
Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.
Contact & links
Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.
Doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and other registered clinicians quoted in a clinical capacity. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. This profile was last updated on 5 Oct 2026. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.