HospitalCheck

North Bristol NHS Trust

Bristol, BS10 5NB · 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
71.6% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
57.3% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
68.6% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
1.7% 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

North Bristol NHS Trust reports that 42,031 patients were on its waiting list in June 2026. The median wait for treatment was 9.8 weeks, with 71.6% of patients seen within 18 weeks of referral. Additionally, 76.1% of staff would recommend the trust for treatment in 2025.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 19 August 2026. This is a plain-English summary, not medical advice. About these summaries

Trust performance

Treated or seen within 18 weeks
71.6%
National median: 66.3%
▲ 5.5 pts vs yr agoBetter than 74% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
9.8 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
▼ 2.2 wks vs yr agoBetter than 78% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
42,031
National median: 39,587
▼ 1,884 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
55
National median: 358.5
▼ 101 vs yr agoBetter than 75% of trustsData: Jun 2026

A&E performance

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

A&E attendances
9,801
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
57.3%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
554
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
5,439
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
9,801
Seen within 4 hours
57.3%

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)9,80157.3%
Type 1 — major A&E9,80157.3%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
81.7%
2,421 of 2,963 treated in time
Target 75% · meets target
Treatment within 62 days
68.6%
256 of 373 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
89.7%
434 of 484 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
60%70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%68.6%66.9%April 202562.9%May 202565.0%June 202567.2%July 202566.2%August 202561.9%September 202563.5%October 202566.8%November 202566.2%December 202565.2%January 202665.2%February 202667.9%March 202665.9%April 202671.6%May 202668.6%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
60%70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%81.7%77.2%April 202575.0%May 202578.3%June 202578.6%July 202575.6%August 202576.8%September 202577.9%October 202578.4%November 202572.2%December 202561.2%January 202676.4%February 202683.1%March 202683.2%April 202682.2%May 202681.7%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
80%90%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%89.7%88.9%April 202586.5%May 202590.5%June 202586.9%July 202586.0%August 202588.3%September 202590.5%October 202585.2%November 202587.5%December 202579.8%January 202686.2%February 202685.0%March 202686.5%April 202690.4%May 202689.7%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
93.7%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
3.2%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
1,613
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
17.5%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
71.9%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
18.8%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
616
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
9.6%
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
76.1%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▲ 1.0 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
7.09
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
71.4%
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
121
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
12
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
9.9%
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
97.9%
937 occupied of 957 open
Adult critical care occupancy
97.8%
45 occupied of 46 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
40.3%
of 12,811 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
7.7%
of 12,811 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
198
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
35%
of 2,119 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
2
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 162 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
43.5%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
162
Of 376 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.6/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
9.2/10
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)
7.2/10
About the same as most trusts
Confidence & trust in your midwife (postnatal care at home)
8.5/10
About the same as most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.8/10
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.

Bristol and Weston SU
D46.1/100
West of England
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentB
Specialist pathwayB
ReperfusionD
MDT assessmentD
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeE
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance C

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

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

North Bristol NHS 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.

Southmead HospitalBest-practice 62.3%609 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 490 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
42.1%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
490
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
7.7/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Cleanliness of your room or ward
8.9/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors
9.4/10
National average: 9.0/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
9.1/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Enough nurses on duty
7.6/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care and treatment
7.4/10
National average: 7.2/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough privacy when examined or treated
9.6/10
National average: 9.4/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough notice about when you would leave hospital
7.0/10
National average: 6.9/10
About the same as the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
6.8/10
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 379 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
31.9%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
379
Of 1,250 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
7.9/10
National average: 7.3/10
About the same as the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
2.9/10
National average: 2.6/10
About the same as the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
3.5/10
National average: 3.4/10
About the same as the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
8.5/10
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
7.9/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
8.5/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
7.2/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
8.7/10
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 655 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
655
Who took part
Overall rating of care
8.9/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Cancer diagnosis explained understandably
81%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Easy to contact your main contact person
83%
National average: 84%
About the same as the national average
Involved as much as wanted in treatment decisions
82%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
79%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
90%
National average: 88%
About the same as the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
79%
National average: 74%
Better than the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
68%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
89%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
47%
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
11
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
36.4%
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
1.7%
of 13,820 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy18312.0%220
Gastroscopy54711.0%600
DEXA Scan67010.9%730
Colonoscopy6017.5%450
Neurophysiology1140.9%10
Cardiology1,5280.7%110
CT scan1,7120.5%80
Ultrasound4,7680.3%120
MRI3,1490.2%70
Urodynamics1990.0%00
Cystoscopy2820.0%00
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
1%2%Apr 25Jan 261.7%0.8%April 20251.0%May 20251.0%June 20250.5%July 20251.0%August 20251.3%September 20251.1%October 20251.2%November 20251.5%December 20252.6%January 20260.7%February 20260.5%March 20260.8%April 20261.0%May 20261.7%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 bacteraemia122
C. difficile19364
E. coli bacteraemia35370
MSSA bacteraemia13244
Klebsiella bacteraemia11533
Pseudomonas bacteraemia4620
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
102030Dec 23Jan 25Jan 262613December 202312January 202419February 202414March 202419April 202415May 202413June 202422July 202413August 202413September 202431October 202416November 202420December 202426January 202524February 202524March 202520April 202519May 202521June 202523July 202518August 202519September 202518October 202515November 202514December 202524January 202628February 202613March 202616April 202619May 202623June 202626July 2026

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

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Mar 2026.

As expected
0.91
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 2,465 deaths vs 2,720 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
0.900.951.00Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)0.910.94December 20180.93January 20190.92February 20190.92March 20190.91April 20190.91May 20190.91June 20190.90July 20190.91August 20190.91September 20190.90October 20190.90November 20190.88December 20190.88January 20200.89February 20200.89March 20200.90April 20200.91May 20200.90June 20200.91July 20200.91August 20200.89September 20200.91October 20200.90November 20200.92December 20200.92January 20210.92February 20210.91March 20210.93April 20210.94May 20210.95June 20210.95July 20210.96August 20210.96September 20210.96October 20210.96November 20210.95December 20210.96January 20220.97February 20220.98March 20220.97April 20220.96May 20220.96June 20220.98July 20220.96August 20220.97September 20220.98October 20220.98November 20220.99December 20220.99January 20230.98February 20230.96March 20230.96April 20230.97May 20230.97June 20230.96July 20230.97August 20230.97September 20230.97October 20230.96November 20230.94December 20230.94January 20240.95February 20240.96March 20240.96April 20240.96May 20240.95June 20240.96July 20240.96August 20240.96September 20240.96October 20240.97November 20240.96December 20240.97January 20250.97February 20250.97March 20250.95April 20250.94May 20250.95June 20250.95July 20250.94August 20250.94September 20250.94October 20250.92November 20250.91December 20250.91January 20260.91February 20260.91March 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
Trauma and Orthopaedic6,16263.3%12.8 wks36.5 wks1600
Other - Surgicals5,61378.6%7.9 wks30.0 wks800
Gynaecology5,57266.6%11.7 wks34.2 wks800
Urology5,51775.5%9.6 wks29.5 wks000
Other - Medicals3,80576.8%8.3 wks29.4 wks100
Neurology3,54662.7%13.1 wks35.2 wks000
Dermatology2,75375.3%7.5 wks27.5 wks000
Cardiology2,37968.6%10.3 wks33.5 wks000
Plastic Surgery2,33670.4%9.7 wks36.6 wks2040
Rheumatology1,21162.1%13.0 wks38.2 wks000
Neurosurgical1,14380.3%8.5 wks27.7 wks000
General Surgery65971.9%11.1 wks32.9 wks100
Respiratory Medicine61097.9%3.9 wks10.8 wks000
Gastroenterology43088.1%3.9 wks24.7 wks100
Other - Others16995.3%4.0 wks14.2 wks000
Elderly Medicine107100.0%3.3 wks7.3 wks000
Cardiothoracic Surgery11100.0%2.8 wks15.1 wks000
Other - Paediatrics8100.0%1.0 wks3.4 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.