HospitalCheck

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Luton, LU4 0DZ · Compare with another trust

At a glance

Whether this trust meets each official NHS operational standard — not a combined score or ranking.

Waiting times
Below NHS standard
59.1% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
74.4% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
62.8% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
29.0% waiting 6+ weeks · standard 1.0% or fewer · About this data
Mortality (SHMI)
As expected
Screening indicator, not a death rate — a prompt to investigate, not proof of poor care · About this data

In plain English

AI-generated

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust reported 27,290 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 74.4% seen within four hours. In June 2026, the trust had 82,592 patients on its waiting list, and 59.1% were seen within 18 weeks of referral. Additionally, 59.7% of staff felt happy for a friend or relative to be treated there in the 2025 survey.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 16 August 2026. This is a plain-English summary, not medical advice. About these summaries

Hospitals run by this trust

Trust performance

Treated or seen within 18 weeks
59.1%
National median: 66.3%
▲ 0.1 pts vs yr agoBetter than 8% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
14.6 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
▲ 0.2 wks vs yr agoBetter than 7% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
82,592
National median: 39,587
▼ 5,690 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
731
National median: 358.5
▼ 1,564 vs yr agoBetter than 30% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
74.4%
National median: 74.2%
▲ 2.2 pts vs yr agoBetter than 51% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
27,290
National median: 14,642
▲ 1,707 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
32
National median: 194
▲ 32 vs yr agoBetter than 69% of trustsData: Jul 2026

A&E performance

Latest month: July 2026· all A&E department types combined — the official headline basis.

A&E attendances
27,290
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
74.4%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
32
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
7,822
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
19,124
Seen within 4 hours
63.5%

The all-types headline above includes minor-injury units and urgent treatment centres (Type 3), which typically report much higher 4-hour performance and lift the combined figure. This narrower figure covers only the main, consultant-led A&E department— Type 1 in NHS England's classification.

Department typeAttendancesWithin 4 hours
All types (official headline)27,29074.4%
Type 1 — major A&E19,12463.5%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC8,166100.0%

Source: NHS England A&E Attendances & Emergency Admissions. About this data

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
65.1%
1,938 of 2,978 treated in time
Target 75% · below target
Treatment within 62 days
62.8%
177 of 282 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
93.1%
362 of 389 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
60%70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%62.8%67.3%April 202565.9%May 202572.4%June 202570.5%July 202575.4%August 202571.3%September 202570.4%October 202569.8%November 202571.2%December 202564.7%January 202665.5%February 202669.1%March 202670.8%April 202661.6%May 202662.8%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%65.1%77.4%April 202575.6%May 202578.0%June 202578.3%July 202578.3%August 202573.9%September 202576.5%October 202576.1%November 202580.5%December 202573.4%January 202682.6%February 202679.9%March 202670.3%April 202668.3%May 202665.1%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
92%94%96%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%93.1%94.9%April 202596.8%May 202595.7%June 202596.4%July 202595.4%August 202592.7%September 202594.5%October 202592.7%November 202593.2%December 202594.2%January 202692.9%February 202696.2%March 202691.9%April 202696.2%May 202693.1%June 2026

Source: NHS England Cancer Waiting Times. The 62-day standard is urgent referral to first treatment; the 28-day faster-diagnosis standard is referral to diagnosis or ruling-out. About this data

Patient experience (Friends & Family Test)

Latest month: June 2026· a voluntary, monthly feedback survey — the figure is the share of respondents who rated their experience 'good' or 'very good'. Response rates are often low and respondents are self-selected, not a representative sample, so read this alongside the clinical measures above, not on its own.

Inpatient care
% would recommend
97.2%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
1.0%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
2,219
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
15.6%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
74.3%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
18.5%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
883
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
6.6%
Responses as a share of those eligible

Source: NHS England Friends & Family Test. About this data

Staff experience (NHS Staff Survey)

2025 · the views of staff who work at this trust — a measure of workforce culture, morale and confidence, not a direct measure of clinical outcomes. There is no official NHS target for these figures, so they are shown as context, never a pass or fail.

Staff happy for a friend or relative to be treated here
59.7%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 1.3 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.83
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
58.7%
Agreed · 2025

The NHS Staff Survey records the views of staff who chose to respond — a measure of workforce culture, morale and staff confidence, not a direct measure of clinical outcomes or safety. Response rates vary between trusts. England only; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate staff surveys on a different basis, so these figures are never compared across nations.

Source: NHS Staff Survey (NHS England), Open Government Licence. About this data

Cancelled operations

Quarter ending 30 June 2026· last-minute cancellations for NON-CLINICAL reasons (no bed, no staff, an emergency taking priority) — not cancellations chosen by the patient or on clinical grounds. It's a raw count, so larger trusts naturally cancel more in absolute terms — read this alongside the other measures above, not on its own.

Last-minute cancellations
152
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
6
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
3.9%
share of cancelled ops without a new date inside 28 days

Source: NHS England (QMCO). About this data

Bed occupancy, ambulance handovers & delayed discharges (UEC Daily SitRep)

Snapshot at 8am, 29 March 2026. This is unvalidated management information— NHS England's own label — and can be revised for up to 14 days after first publication. It is collected only during the winter Daily SitRep window, so this is the latest date the collection has published, not necessarily today. It measures operational pressure (how full the hospital is), NOT care quality — high occupancy is normal for NHS hospitals, especially in winter, and is not a safety or performance score. The ambulance-handover figures below cover winter 2025-26 as a period total(not a snapshot): the time from an ambulance arriving to the patient being handed over to A&E staff. The delayed-discharge figures cover the most recent 7 daysof the collection (not a snapshot, and not the whole winter): a patient who "no longer meets the criteria to reside" is medically ready to leave hospital, but how quickly they actually do mostly reflects social-care and community capacity to receive them — NOT the hospital's own clinical quality. A higher handover or delayed-discharge figure means more operational pressure — like the rest of this section, none of it is a measure of care quality, and it carries no colour grading, badge or ranking.

Adult general & acute bed occupancy
95.1%
889 occupied of 935 open
Adult critical care occupancy
53.8%
14 occupied of 26 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
10.8%
of 16,532 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
1.0%
of 16,532 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
55
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
68%
of 1,210 who no longer met the criteria to reside, week to 29 March 2026

Source: NHS England UEC Daily SitRep, Ambulance Handover and Acute Discharge SitRep collections. About this data

Never Events (patient safety)

Financial year 2025/26 · Never Events are rare, serious, wholly-preventable incidents. This is a RAW count for 2025/26— it is NOT adjusted for how much surgery the trust does, and NHS England publishes it to prompt learning, NOT to compare trusts. A higher number is a prompt to look at the trust's own review, not proof it is less safe than a trust with fewer.

Never Events reported
3
Occurring in FY 2025/26 · not a comparative safety score

Source: NHS England. About this data

Maternity — patient experience

CQC National Maternity Survey, 2025 · scores are relative comparisons against other trusts, not a measure of absolute quality — based on 236 voluntary respondents (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). A lower score is a prompt to look closer, not proof of poor care.

Response rate
41.9%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
236
Of 565 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
7.8/10
Worse than most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
8.5/10
Worse than most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
8.3/10
About the same as most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
7.0/10
About the same as most trusts
Confidence & trust in your midwife (postnatal care at home)
7.6/10
Worse than most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.3/10
About the same as most trusts

Source: Care Quality Commission — National Maternity Survey. About this data

Stroke care (SSNAP audit)

Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, latest quarter to 2026· the SSNAP level (A best .. E) is the audit's own published grade for the quality of this team's acute stroke-care PROCESSES, adjusted for case-mix, case ascertainment and audit compliance — it is not a guarantee of any individual patient's outcome. England only; SSNAP also covers Wales and Northern Ireland.

Bedford Hospital
E21.2/100
East of England (South)
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentE
Specialist pathwayE
ReperfusionE
MDT assessmentE
Therapy intensityE
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeD
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance D

This team's case ascertainment and/or audit compliance band is D or E — its SSNAP grade above rests on less-complete data than a team with a higher band, not necessarily worse care.

Luton and Dunstable Hospital
D48.7/100
East of England (South)
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentB
Specialist pathwayC
ReperfusionC
MDT assessmentC
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyE
Standards by dischargeD
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance B

Source: Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (Royal College of Physicians). About this data

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · National Hip Fracture Database, 2023audit year · "Met best-practice criteria" is the audit's own composite measure of hip-fracture care PROCESSES at each hospital this trust runs.

Bedford HospitalBest-practice 30.6%311 cases
Luton & Dunstable HospitalBest-practice 76.8%337 cases

Source: National Hip Fracture Database (Royal College of Physicians). About this data

Patient experience — inpatient care

CQC Adult Inpatient Survey, 2024 · scores are 0-10, and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the CQC 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 419 voluntary respondents (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
36.4%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
419
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
7.6/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Cleanliness of your room or ward
8.8/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors
8.8/10
National average: 9.0/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
8.8/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Enough nurses on duty
7.4/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care and treatment
6.9/10
National average: 7.2/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough privacy when examined or treated
9.2/10
National average: 9.4/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough notice about when you would leave hospital
6.7/10
National average: 6.9/10
About the same as the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
6.3/10
National average: 6.7/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality Commission — CQC Adult Inpatient Survey. About this data

Patient experience — A&E (urgent & emergency care)

CQC Urgent & Emergency Care Survey (A&E), 2024 · scores are 0-10, and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the CQC 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 298 voluntary respondents who attended a major (type 1) A&E department (a question is only shown here where at least 30 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
24.9%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
298
Of 1,250 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
7.3/10
National average: 7.3/10
About the same as the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
2.5/10
National average: 2.6/10
About the same as the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
3.0/10
National average: 3.4/10
About the same as the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
8.3/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses
8.0/10
National average: 8.1/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care
7.5/10
National average: 7.4/10
About the same as the national average
Test results explained before you left
7.1/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
7.7/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
7.0/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
8.2/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality Commission — CQC Urgent & Emergency Care Survey (A&E). About this data

Patient experience — cancer care

National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, 2025 · scores are the % of patients giving the most positive answer (and an overall 0–10 rating), and "better"/"worse" means the trust's score falls outside the range expected for a trust of its size (the survey's 95% expected range, centred on the national average) — a statistical-significance test, not a raw ranking. Based on 681 patients treated for cancer by this trust (a question is only shown here where at least 10 people at this trust answered it). England only; response rates vary between trusts.

Response rate
—
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
681
Who took part
Overall rating of care
8.8/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Cancer diagnosis explained understandably
75%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Easy to contact your main contact person
86%
National average: 84%
About the same as the national average
Involved as much as wanted in treatment decisions
79%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
74%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
87%
National average: 88%
About the same as the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
73%
National average: 74%
About the same as the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
65%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
88%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
43%
National average: 45%
About the same as the national average

Source: NHS England (survey run by Picker on its behalf) — National Cancer Patient Experience Survey. About this data

Hip & knee replacement — patient outcomes (PROMs)

Financial year 2024-25(finalised) · patients having a primary hip or knee replacement voluntarily score their health before and after surgery. The average gain shown is adjusted for differences between patients (case-mix) — it is not a raw before/after difference and not a ranking, so read it alongside the patient numbers.

Hip replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
21.9
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 22.8
Patients
72
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
100.0%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.47
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale
Knee replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
18.0
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 18.6
Patients
86
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
96.5%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.30
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale

Source: NHS England PROMs (hip & knee replacement). About this data

Diagnostic test waits

Latest month: June 2026. The operational standard is that under 1% should wait more than 6 weeks.

Waiting 6+ weeks for a test
29.0%
of 16,441 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Audiology76181.6%621401
Cardiology94550.2%474143
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy32746.5%15273
Colonoscopy93546.3%433208
Gastroscopy85945.2%388126
Urodynamics13742.3%5810
MRI4,27036.5%1,559632
DEXA Scan1,20429.4%3540
Cystoscopy8916.9%158
Ultrasound5,15112.6%6512
Neurophysiology1354.4%61
CT scan1,4284.3%615
Respiratory physiology2001.5%30
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
30%35%Apr 25Jan 2629.0%28.3%April 202529.7%May 202530.5%June 202531.9%July 202532.3%August 202531.5%September 202532.1%October 202532.7%November 202535.6%December 202536.6%January 202631.9%February 202632.4%March 202633.0%April 202630.8%May 202629.0%June 2026

Source: NHS England Diagnostic Waiting Times & Activity (DM01). About this data

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Mar 2026.

As expected
0.93
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 2,830 deaths vs 3,030 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
0.951.001.051.10Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)0.931.04December 20181.03January 20191.04February 20191.03March 20191.02April 20191.03May 20191.02June 20191.01July 20191.02August 20191.03September 20191.04October 20191.03November 20191.02December 20191.00January 20201.00February 20201.03March 20201.04April 20201.04May 20201.04June 20201.04July 20201.03August 20201.02September 20201.02October 20201.02November 20201.02December 20201.04January 20211.04February 20211.07March 20211.05April 20211.04May 20211.04June 20211.04July 20211.04August 20211.05September 20211.06October 20211.06November 20211.07December 20211.05January 20221.06February 20221.07March 20221.07April 20221.08May 20221.08June 20221.08July 20221.09August 20221.09September 20221.08October 20221.08November 20221.08December 20221.09January 20231.08February 20231.06March 20231.06April 20231.05May 20231.04June 20231.03July 20231.02August 20231.03September 20231.01October 20231.00November 20231.00December 20230.98January 20240.97February 20240.97March 20240.97April 20240.97May 20240.97June 20240.98July 20240.98August 20240.98September 20240.99October 20240.98November 20240.98December 20240.99January 20250.99February 20250.98March 20250.98April 20250.97May 20250.97June 20250.97July 20250.96August 20250.96September 20250.95October 20250.96November 20250.95December 20250.94January 20260.93February 20260.93March 2026

The SHMI compares the number of deaths after hospital care with the number expected given patients' characteristics. It is not a death rate and a higher value is a prompt to investigate, not proof of poor care. Source: NHS England. About this data

Waiting times by specialty

Data: June 2026 · Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics (incomplete pathways)

SpecialtyWaitingWithin 18 wksMedian wait9 in 10 wait under52+ wks65+ wks78+ wks
Dermatology8,19754.1%16.5 wks41.3 wks1100
Ear Nose and Throat7,72456.3%15.7 wks41.5 wks10010
Oral Surgery6,88642.5%21.2 wks46.0 wks173111
Trauma and Orthopaedic6,74942.0%21.8 wks48.4 wks33471
Cardiology6,73060.5%14.4 wks33.5 wks100
Gynaecology6,44866.0%13.0 wks35.7 wks1120
Other - Surgicals5,73568.0%10.0 wks38.5 wks2800
Other - Paediatrics5,31859.5%14.3 wks38.0 wks3340
Urology4,53562.7%13.6 wks35.7 wks700
General Surgery3,81055.6%15.9 wks38.1 wks1300
Respiratory Medicine3,49367.7%12.6 wks30.8 wks000
Gastroenterology3,34667.1%10.7 wks38.5 wks800
Ophthalmology3,28568.2%11.9 wks33.7 wks200
Other - Medicals2,73673.1%10.1 wks28.6 wks000
Neurology2,66758.9%15.0 wks33.3 wks000
Plastic Surgery1,60357.6%15.1 wks41.9 wks700
Rheumatology1,17983.5%8.3 wks22.4 wks000
Other - Others1,06265.6%12.6 wks30.2 wks300
General Internal Medicine76387.9%9.6 wks19.7 wks000
Elderly Medicine32677.0%9.5 wks24.2 wks000

Figures come from NHS England's official monthly statistics and the CQC directory, reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See methodology for definitions.