HospitalCheck

Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Chester, CH2 1UL · 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
67.8% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
61.2% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
82.9% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
16.0% 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

Countess Of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust reported 8,847 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 61.2% of patients treated within four hours. In June 2026, the trust had 29,783 patients on its waiting list, and 67.8% were seen within 18 weeks of referral.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 17 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
67.8%
National median: 66.3%
▲ 18.9 pts vs yr agoBetter than 57% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
11.6 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
▼ 7.0 wks vs yr agoBetter than 54% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
29,783
National median: 39,587
▼ 4,463 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
209
National median: 358.5
▼ 2,628 vs yr agoBetter than 61% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
61.2%
National median: 74.2%
▼ 0.8 pts vs yr agoBetter than 5% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
8,847
National median: 14,642
▲ 884 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
612
National median: 194
▲ 109 vs yr agoBetter than 21% of trustsData: Jul 2026

A&E performance

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

A&E attendances
8,847
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
61.2%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
612
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
3,291
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
6,079
Seen within 4 hours
51.1%

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)8,84761.2%
Type 1 — major A&E6,07951.1%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC2,76883.3%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
86.0%
1,381 of 1,605 treated in time
Target 75% · meets target
Treatment within 62 days
82.9%
133 of 161 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
95.3%
162 of 170 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
70%75%80%85%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%82.9%80.1%April 202577.9%May 202571.6%June 202574.2%July 202574.4%August 202576.0%September 202573.1%October 202581.9%November 202576.4%December 202572.9%January 202676.6%February 202684.9%March 202686.6%April 202680.1%May 202682.9%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
70%75%80%85%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%86.0%84.3%April 202575.6%May 202575.6%June 202571.3%July 202573.3%August 202570.6%September 202577.9%October 202578.7%November 202580.3%December 202574.7%January 202683.8%February 202685.6%March 202682.8%April 202684.3%May 202686.0%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
85%90%95%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%95.3%89.6%April 202594.8%May 202596.8%June 202588.2%July 202593.9%August 202591.4%September 202592.6%October 202596.5%November 202596.5%December 202583.8%January 202693.7%February 202693.5%March 202690.4%April 202685.0%May 202695.3%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
94.1%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
3.3%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
610
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
25.2%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
86.3%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
8.9%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
474
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
9.7%
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
48.8%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 2.3 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.27
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
41.4%
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
57
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
5
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
8.8%
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
97.3%
466 occupied of 479 open
Adult critical care occupancy
93.3%
14 occupied of 15 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
40.0%
of 5,779 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
9.9%
of 5,779 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
121
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
29%
of 1,188 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
4
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 97 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
38.5%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
97
Of 255 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
7.8/10
Worse than most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
9.1/10
About the same as most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
8.7/10
About the same as most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
6.8/10
About the same as most trusts
Confidence & trust in your midwife (postnatal care at home)
8.0/10
About the same as most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.4/10
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.

Countess of Chester Hospital
D52.5/100
Cheshire and Mersey
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentC
Specialist pathwayD
ReperfusionD
MDT assessmentB
Therapy intensityC
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeC
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A

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

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

Countess Of Chester Hospital 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.

Countess of Chester HospitalBest-practice 82.6%385 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 477 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
41.9%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
477
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
8.0/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Cleanliness of your room or ward
8.7/10
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
7.1/10
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
9.3/10
National average: 9.4/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough notice about when you would leave hospital
6.3/10
National average: 6.9/10
Worse than the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
6.2/10
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 276 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
30.5%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
276
Of 950 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
7.2/10
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
2.3/10
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
8.4/10
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
7.4/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
7.3/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
6.9/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
8.1/10
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 141 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
141
Who took part
Overall rating of care
9.1/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Cancer diagnosis explained understandably
82%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Easy to contact your main contact person
88%
National average: 84%
About the same as the national average
Involved as much as wanted in treatment decisions
80%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
86%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
95%
National average: 88%
About the same as the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
75%
National average: 74%
About the same as the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
70%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
94%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
52%
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
Patients
22
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
100.0%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
Knee replacement
Patients
17
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
100.0%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before

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
16.0%
of 7,885 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Audiology46738.5%18011
DEXA Scan62432.1%2000
Cardiology73327.3%2004
Gastroscopy52125.1%1317
Colonoscopy26325.1%662
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy7816.7%130
Ultrasound3,22910.6%3430
MRI1,0997.6%840
Respiratory physiology1486.8%103
CT scan5805.0%290
Cystoscopy991.0%10
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
15%20%25%Apr 25Jan 2616.0%13.4%April 202519.0%May 202518.4%June 202519.9%July 202526.1%August 202523.5%September 202525.3%October 202523.2%November 202523.7%December 202520.7%January 202613.4%February 202616.0%March 202618.7%April 202617.5%May 202616.0%June 2026

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

Safety: infections

Cases in the 12 months to July 2026. Hospital-onset cases are those most likely acquired in hospital.

InfectionCases (12 mo)Hospital-onset
MRSA bacteraemia52
C. difficile11140
E. coli bacteraemia23835
MSSA bacteraemia8220
Klebsiella bacteraemia9118
Pseudomonas bacteraemia2911
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
5101520Dec 23Jan 25Jan 26118December 202315January 20247February 202420March 202415April 20246May 202413June 202417July 202418August 202415September 202413October 202412November 20249December 202418January 20254February 20258March 202512April 20258May 202514June 202510July 20254August 20254September 202518October 202512November 20259December 202512January 20268February 202613March 202614April 202612May 20269June 202611July 2026

Source: UK Health Security Agency mandatory surveillance. About this data

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Mar 2026.

As expected
0.87
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 1,345 deaths vs 1,550 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
0.901.001.10Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)0.871.07December 20181.08January 20191.08February 20191.11March 20191.09April 20191.09May 20191.08June 20191.07July 20191.08August 20191.09September 20191.10October 20191.09November 20191.09December 20191.10January 20201.09February 20201.08March 20201.08April 20201.06May 20201.07June 20201.07July 20201.06August 20201.06September 20201.05October 20201.07November 20201.07December 20201.05January 20211.07February 20211.04March 20211.04April 20211.05May 20210.97June 20211.02July 20211.01August 20211.01September 20211.00October 20210.98November 20210.98December 20210.99January 20220.98February 20220.96March 20220.96April 20220.97May 20220.97June 20220.99July 20220.99August 20220.98September 20220.97October 20221.00November 20221.00December 20221.01January 20230.99February 20230.98March 20230.97April 20230.98May 20230.96June 20230.95July 20230.97August 20230.99September 20230.99October 20230.97November 20230.97December 20230.97January 20240.96February 20240.95March 20240.95April 20240.94May 20240.94June 20240.94July 20240.93August 20240.93September 20240.92October 20240.91November 20240.92December 20240.90January 20250.91February 20250.91March 20250.90April 20250.91May 20250.90June 20250.90July 20250.90August 20250.89September 20250.88October 20250.88November 20250.87December 20250.87January 20260.87February 20260.87March 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
Other - Surgicals5,38863.9%13.1 wks40.9 wks5000
Ophthalmology2,95267.7%11.6 wks39.8 wks700
Other - Medicals2,83968.2%11.3 wks34.8 wks700
Ear Nose and Throat2,73971.2%12.1 wks33.2 wks1600
Gynaecology2,64556.8%14.9 wks44.0 wks8300
Dermatology2,28374.3%10.8 wks29.1 wks200
Trauma and Orthopaedic2,21961.8%13.1 wks34.6 wks200
Oral Surgery1,99045.4%20.4 wks44.8 wks2400
Urology1,16771.3%10.6 wks31.8 wks000
Respiratory Medicine1,05985.2%6.1 wks28.8 wks100
General Surgery92768.4%12.3 wks36.1 wks500
Plastic Surgery87774.0%7.0 wks37.0 wks1000
Gastroenterology76288.3%7.7 wks19.9 wks000
Cardiology74487.4%7.3 wks21.2 wks100
Rheumatology47894.6%6.4 wks16.1 wks000
Other - Others45078.9%11.5 wks23.0 wks100
Elderly Medicine19988.9%7.6 wks18.9 wks000
General Internal Medicine6593.8%4.4 wks15.4 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.