Frequently asked questions
Reviewed 27 July 2026 · HospitalCheck editorial
Is HospitalCheck an official NHS website?
No. HospitalCheck is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the NHS or any NHS body. We reuse official public data under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Where do the numbers come from?
Every figure is taken unmodified from an official publication — NHS England (waiting times, A&E, estates), the Care Quality Commission (inspection ratings) and the UK Health Security Agency (infections). We never estimate or generate numbers. See the methodology for each source.
How current is the data?
It's as current as the source allows. NHS England publishes waiting times and A&E monthly, with about a six-week lag, so a figure labelled “May” describes May. Every figure on the site shows the period it covers.
What does 'Trust-wide' mean?
NHS England publishes waiting times, A&E and infection figures for the whole trust, not each building. So every hospital run by a trust shows the same figures for those measures — we label them “Trust-wide” to be clear. CQC ratings and estates data (parking, food, rooms) are genuinely per-hospital.
Can I choose which hospital treats me?
For most planned NHS care in England, yes — including a hospital with shorter waits. See our guide to your right to choose.
Why doesn't my hospital show some sections?
A section only appears when official data exists for that hospital. Smaller sites — dialysis units, diagnostic centres, some community hospitals — often aren't rated by the CQC or don't file an estates return, so those sections are simply left out rather than filled with guesses.