HospitalCheck

Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Smethwick, B66 2QT · 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
61.8% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
75.4% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
66.3% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
29.6% 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

Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust reported 21,450 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 75.4% of patients treated within four hours. In June 2026, the trust had 66,744 patients on its waiting list, and 61.8% were seen within 18 weeks of referral. Staff survey data from 2025 showed that 51.6% of employees would recommend the trust to friends or family.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 20 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
61.8%
National median: 66.3%
▲ 3.8 pts vs yr agoBetter than 20% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
14.0 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
▼ 1.1 wks vs yr agoBetter than 11% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
66,744
National median: 39,587
▲ 1,204 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
291
National median: 358.5
▼ 840 vs yr agoBetter than 54% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
75.4%
National median: 74.2%
▼ 3.6 pts vs yr agoBetter than 57% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
21,450
National median: 14,642
▲ 299 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
301
National median: 194
▲ 246 vs yr agoBetter than 41% of trustsData: Jul 2026

A&E performance

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

A&E attendances
21,450
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
75.4%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
301
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
2,719
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
11,881
Seen within 4 hours
57.8%

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)21,45075.4%
Type 1 — major A&E11,88157.8%
Type 2 — single-specialty A&E1,25282.9%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC8,31799.4%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
74.4%
1,389 of 1,868 treated in time
Target 75% · below target
Treatment within 62 days
66.3%
113 of 171 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
97.3%
178 of 183 treated in time
Target 96% · meets target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
60%70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%66.3%73.9%April 202566.5%May 202568.1%June 202577.4%July 202576.4%August 202570.5%September 202569.8%October 202572.3%November 202573.4%December 202569.1%January 202669.8%February 202674.7%March 202670.2%April 202654.8%May 202666.3%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
65%70%75%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%74.4%73.4%April 202568.8%May 202577.6%June 202574.8%July 202578.2%August 202578.6%September 202579.0%October 202578.9%November 202578.1%December 202571.0%January 202677.8%February 202672.9%March 202664.0%April 202673.8%May 202674.4%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
90%95%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%97.3%88.9%April 202593.9%May 202592.8%June 202594.9%July 202593.5%August 202592.7%September 202592.7%October 202590.4%November 202595.0%December 202595.6%January 202693.0%February 202695.4%March 202695.7%April 202693.3%May 202697.3%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
88.7%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
7.2%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
995
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
20.0%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
68.4%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
22.4%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
1,182
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
51.6%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 6.9 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.49
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
51.8%
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 31 March 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
145
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
25
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
17.2%
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
97.6%
518 occupied of 531 open
Adult critical care occupancy
100.0%
11 occupied of 11 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
39.0%
of 16,405 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
19.0%
of 16,405 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
38
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
69%
of 847 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 111 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
28.2%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
111
Of 403 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.3/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
8.6/10
About the same as most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
8.4/10
About the same as most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
7.5/10
About the same as most trusts
Confidence & trust in your midwife (postnatal care at home)
8.2/10
About the same as most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.6/10
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.

Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) - Acute Stroke Services
B73.8/100
West Midlands
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentA
Specialist pathwayD
ReperfusionE
MDT assessmentA
Therapy intensityA
Therapy frequencyB
Standards by dischargeA
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A

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

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

Sandwell And West Birmingham Hospitals 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.

Sandwell District HospitalBest-practice 41.7%395 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 373 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
32.0%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
373
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
7.2/10
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
8.8/10
National average: 9.0/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
8.4/10
National average: 8.9/10
Worse than the national average
Enough nurses on duty
7.2/10
National average: 7.6/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care and treatment
6.8/10
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
6.5/10
National average: 6.9/10
About the same as the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
6.1/10
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 168 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
18.6%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
168
Of 950 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
6.7/10
National average: 7.3/10
About the same as the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
2.7/10
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
7.9/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses
7.5/10
National average: 8.1/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care
7.0/10
National average: 7.4/10
About the same as the national average
Test results explained before you left
6.5/10
National average: 7.5/10
Worse than the national average
Felt safe around other patients
6.4/10
National average: 7.8/10
Worse than the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
6.2/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
7.6/10
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 177 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
177
Who took part
Overall rating of care
9.0/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Cancer diagnosis explained understandably
83%
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
89%
National average: 80%
Better than the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
80%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
85%
National average: 88%
About the same as the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
80%
National average: 74%
About the same as the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
69%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
92%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
42%
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): 20.8
Patients
89
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
93.3%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.41
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale
Knee replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
16.6
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 15.2
Patients
102
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
91.2%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.29
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
29.6%
of 22,388 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy39066.7%260168
Colonoscopy67557.3%387216
Audiology1,90250.8%966267
MRI8,56143.7%3,740394
Gastroscopy54639.9%21876
Cardiology1,62122.1%35812
CT scan1,83115.2%279140
Cystoscopy2838.1%238
Ultrasound5,8736.4%37623
Neurophysiology3342.1%70
Respiratory physiology1460.7%10
DEXA Scan1950.0%00
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
25%30%35%Apr 25Jan 2629.6%28.0%April 202529.2%May 202526.1%June 202525.0%July 202526.9%August 202527.7%September 202528.4%October 202530.1%November 202535.2%December 202535.2%January 202625.7%February 202624.9%March 202629.6%April 202629.2%May 202629.6%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 bacteraemia61
C. difficile8126
E. coli bacteraemia19028
MSSA bacteraemia5415
Klebsiella bacteraemia5510
Pseudomonas bacteraemia145
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
51015Dec 23Jan 25Jan 26910December 20238January 202410February 20249March 202410April 202418May 20244June 20247July 202416August 202414September 202411October 202410November 202412December 202415January 202511February 202512March 202510April 202511May 20259June 20255July 20255August 20259September 20258October 202510November 20256December 202510January 20264February 20264March 202611April 20265May 20264June 20269July 2026

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

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Mar 2026.

As expected
1.10
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 1,690 deaths vs 1,540 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
1.001.051.101.15Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)1.101.07December 20181.05January 20191.06February 20191.06March 20191.06April 20191.05May 20191.05June 20191.03July 20191.03August 20191.03September 20191.05October 20191.06November 20191.08December 20191.08January 20201.08February 20201.09March 20201.09April 20201.11May 20201.11June 20201.13July 20201.13August 20201.14September 20201.13October 20201.13November 20201.13December 20201.15January 20211.16February 20211.14March 20211.10April 20211.10May 20211.11June 20211.11July 20211.11August 20211.10September 20211.09October 20211.10November 20211.10December 20211.08January 20221.07February 20221.04March 20221.04April 20221.02May 20221.02June 20221.03July 20221.03August 20221.04September 20221.05October 20221.05November 20221.06December 20221.07January 20231.06February 20231.07March 20231.07April 20231.09May 20231.09June 20231.10July 20231.10August 20231.12September 20231.13October 20231.11November 20231.10December 20231.10January 20241.12February 20241.13March 20241.13April 20241.13May 20241.12June 20241.10July 20241.09August 20241.09September 20241.08October 20241.09November 20241.07December 20241.07January 20251.06February 20251.04March 20251.03April 20251.03May 20251.04June 20251.04July 20251.06August 20251.06September 20251.06October 20251.07November 20251.08December 20251.08January 20261.09February 20261.10March 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
Ophthalmology8,00280.0%8.6 wks28.4 wks300
Ear Nose and Throat7,41443.0%21.3 wks45.5 wks10710
Other - Paediatrics6,23469.8%9.8 wks37.3 wks3800
Trauma and Orthopaedic5,87461.0%14.5 wks39.8 wks1600
Other - Surgicals5,44666.9%13.5 wks33.7 wks200
Gynaecology5,24760.7%14.2 wks35.5 wks1800
Cardiology5,15349.1%18.4 wks41.1 wks1800
General Surgery4,57563.9%13.7 wks34.8 wks2210
Dermatology3,73157.8%15.2 wks39.6 wks200
Urology3,42465.3%13.0 wks30.4 wks400
Other - Medicals3,09062.1%13.4 wks39.5 wks400
Gastroenterology2,17049.8%18.1 wks38.7 wks000
Respiratory Medicine1,86487.1%7.5 wks19.8 wks000
Neurology1,55045.1%21.1 wks46.0 wks100
Oral Surgery1,17953.4%17.4 wks35.8 wks300
Other - Others58922.8%38.9 wks52.8 wks5300
Plastic Surgery58559.0%15.9 wks33.8 wks000
Rheumatology58495.2%5.5 wks16.1 wks000
Elderly Medicine2696.2%3.3 wks15.0 wks000
Cardiothoracic Surgery785.7%6.3 wks21.4 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.