HospitalCheck

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

Harlow, CM20 1QX · 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
68.7% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
77.2% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
61.8% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
34.9% 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

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust reported 11,329 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 77.2% of patients treated within four hours. In June 2026, the median waiting time for treatment was 11.5 weeks, and 68.7% of patients 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 18 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
68.7%
National median: 66.3%
▲ 17.6 pts vs yr agoBetter than 61% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
11.5 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
▼ 6.0 wks vs yr agoBetter than 57% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
38,558
National median: 39,587
▼ 9,885 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
433
National median: 358.5
▼ 1,832 vs yr agoBetter than 44% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
77.2%
National median: 74.2%
▲ 9.7 pts vs yr agoBetter than 65% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
11,329
National median: 14,642
▲ 689 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
282
National median: 194
▲ 140 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
11,329
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
77.2%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
282
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
2,277
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
9,308
Seen within 4 hours
72.2%

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)11,32977.2%
Type 1 — major A&E9,30872.2%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC2,021100.0%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
72.4%
1,345 of 1,859 treated in time
Target 75% · below target
Treatment within 62 days
61.8%
101 of 163 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
91.9%
171 of 186 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
40%60%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%61.8%53.5%April 202548.9%May 202541.8%June 202557.7%July 202558.6%August 202561.8%September 202567.4%October 202565.1%November 202567.5%December 202563.2%January 202660.0%February 202662.7%March 202660.2%April 202662.3%May 202661.8%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
65%70%75%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%72.4%72.0%April 202571.3%May 202572.4%June 202573.4%July 202566.7%August 202577.0%September 202577.0%October 202572.7%November 202577.4%December 202573.4%January 202681.4%February 202680.0%March 202672.1%April 202673.7%May 202672.4%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
90%95%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%91.9%95.2%April 202589.4%May 202593.9%June 202591.9%July 202596.8%August 202593.9%September 202593.8%October 202597.2%November 202596.0%December 202596.7%January 202696.7%February 202697.7%March 202697.1%April 202697.1%May 202691.9%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
77.4%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
17.0%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
106
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
7.2%
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
17.3%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
463
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
4.9%
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
42.9%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 2.7 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.56
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
49.3%
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
51
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
8
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
15.7%
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
97.0%
427 occupied of 440 open
Adult critical care occupancy
61.5%
8 occupied of 13 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
45.1%
of 7,879 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
21.7%
of 7,879 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
78
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
37%
of 867 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 102 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
35.2%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
102
Of 300 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.1/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
8.8/10
About the same as 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)
8.9/10
About the same as most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
9.0/10
About the same as most trusts

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

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

The Princess Alexandra Hospital 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.

Princess Alexandra HospitalBest-practice 74.3%360 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
40.4%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
477
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
6.3/10
National average: 7.6/10
Worse than the national average
Cleanliness of your room or ward
8.5/10
National average: 8.9/10
Worse than the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors
8.4/10
National average: 9.0/10
Worse than the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
8.3/10
National average: 8.9/10
Worse than the national average
Enough nurses on duty
6.4/10
National average: 7.6/10
Worse than the national average
Involved in decisions about your care and treatment
6.3/10
National average: 7.2/10
Worse than 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
6.1/10
National average: 6.9/10
Worse than the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
5.6/10
National average: 6.7/10
Worse than 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 411 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
34.6%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
411
Of 1,250 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
1.5/10
National average: 2.6/10
Worse than the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
2.0/10
National average: 3.4/10
Worse than the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
7.8/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses
7.9/10
National average: 8.1/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care
6.9/10
National average: 7.4/10
About the same as the national average
Test results explained before you left
6.8/10
National average: 7.5/10
Worse than the national average
Felt safe around other patients
7.9/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
5.9/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
8.0/10
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 108 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
108
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
79%
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
87%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
67%
National average: 78%
About the same as the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
82%
National average: 88%
About the same as the national average
Possible side effects explained understandably
79%
National average: 74%
About the same as the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
57%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
86%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
37%
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)
22.6
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 23.6
Patients
31
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
93.5%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
Knee replacement
Patients
24
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
34.9%
of 12,303 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Audiology1,35276.0%1,028830
MRI3,33644.8%1,49355
Ultrasound5,90626.3%1,552350
Colonoscopy23425.6%6025
CT scan85612.4%10642
Gastroscopy6011.7%72
Cardiology5066.7%349
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
30%35%Apr 25Jan 2634.9%33.5%April 202534.8%May 202533.7%June 202534.5%July 202534.8%August 202528.8%September 202528.7%October 202531.5%November 202535.2%December 202535.8%January 202627.5%February 202628.7%March 202633.2%April 202636.4%May 202634.9%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 bacteraemia71
C. difficile10439
E. coli bacteraemia16628
MSSA bacteraemia549
Klebsiella bacteraemia4515
Pseudomonas bacteraemia223
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
510Dec 23Jan 25Jan 26117December 202310January 20245February 20248March 20243April 202411May 20244June 20244July 20248August 20245September 20246October 20248November 20247December 202411January 20256February 20259March 20256April 20258May 20259June 202512July 20259August 20257September 20259October 20258November 20258December 20257January 20269February 20269March 20265April 20266May 20267June 202611July 2026

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

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to Mar 2026.

As expected
1.02
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 1,475 deaths vs 1,450 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
1.001.10Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)1.021.14December 20181.14January 20191.14February 20191.13March 20191.13April 20191.11May 20191.12June 20191.12July 20191.12August 20191.11September 20191.11October 20191.10November 20191.10December 20191.09January 20201.08February 20201.07March 20201.06April 20201.06May 20201.05June 20201.04July 20201.04August 20201.03September 20201.02October 20201.03November 20201.05December 20201.04January 20210.99February 20210.97March 20210.97April 20210.97May 20210.98June 20210.97July 20210.98August 20210.98September 20210.98October 20210.97November 20210.95December 20210.95January 20220.97February 20220.99March 20221.00April 20221.00May 20221.03June 20221.05July 20221.06August 20221.06September 20221.04October 20221.06November 20221.06December 20221.06January 20231.09February 20231.08March 20231.08April 20231.08May 20231.07June 20231.03July 20231.01August 20231.02September 20231.01October 20230.99November 20231.00December 20231.01January 20241.02February 20241.03March 20241.03April 20241.03May 20241.04June 20241.09July 20241.09August 20241.06September 20241.06October 20241.08November 20241.09December 20241.09January 20251.10February 20251.10March 20251.10April 20251.08May 20251.09June 20251.12July 20251.14August 20251.15September 20251.15October 20251.12November 20251.06December 20251.04January 20261.03February 20261.02March 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 Orthopaedic5,37455.7%15.7 wks41.5 wks40145
Cardiology3,93970.1%12.2 wks31.6 wks1300
General Surgery3,85469.6%10.7 wks39.5 wks2430
Ear Nose and Throat3,26767.1%11.5 wks45.7 wks10242
Gynaecology3,17673.7%10.4 wks38.8 wks5483
Ophthalmology2,94971.5%11.3 wks35.3 wks40102
Gastroenterology2,88462.1%14.2 wks37.4 wks2410
Urology2,79869.0%12.1 wks36.1 wks900
Dermatology1,77491.5%6.3 wks18.6 wks211
Oral Surgery1,70449.1%18.3 wks44.7 wks5011
Other - Others1,45191.2%7.0 wks18.7 wks2511
Rheumatology1,25465.5%13.7 wks39.6 wks400
Neurology1,16077.9%9.8 wks24.2 wks200
Other - Surgicals1,02652.9%17.2 wks47.5 wks4110
Respiratory Medicine86277.1%10.2 wks32.1 wks000
Other - Paediatrics59494.9%5.2 wks15.9 wks000
Other - Medicals43481.6%7.4 wks29.6 wks300
General Internal Medicine37100.0%9.5 wks15.5 wks000
Elderly Medicine2185.7%8.3 wks23.3 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.