HospitalCheck

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust

King's Lynn, PE30 4ET · 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
62.8% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
64.6% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
48.6% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
37.3% 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 Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust reported 8,207 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 64.6% seen within four hours. In June 2026, 25,086 patients were on the waiting list, and 62.8% were seen within 18 weeks of referral. Staff survey data from 2025 showed that 34.7% 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 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
62.8%
National median: 66.3%
▲ 5.5 pts vs yr agoBetter than 27% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
13.0 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
▼ 2.2 wks vs yr agoBetter than 30% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
25,086
National median: 39,587
▼ 2,179 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
373
National median: 358.5
▼ 220 vs yr agoBetter than 49% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
64.6%
National median: 74.2%
▲ 6.0 pts vs yr agoBetter than 12% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
8,207
National median: 14,642
▲ 38 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
92
National median: 194
▼ 33 vs yr agoBetter than 62% of trustsData: Jul 2026

A&E performance

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

A&E attendances
8,207
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
64.6%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
92
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
2,463
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
7,008
Seen within 4 hours
58.5%

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)8,20764.6%
Type 1 — major A&E7,00858.5%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC1,199100.0%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
68.5%
936 of 1,366 treated in time
Target 75% · below target
Treatment within 62 days
48.6%
44 of 91 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
94.7%
125 of 132 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
60%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%48.6%58.0%April 202547.6%May 202553.6%June 202550.6%July 202547.9%August 202553.5%September 202560.3%October 202555.3%November 202552.1%December 202554.3%January 202652.7%February 202656.5%March 202650.5%April 202653.7%May 202648.6%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
60%65%70%75%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%68.5%65.1%April 202565.5%May 202570.0%June 202569.5%July 202560.1%August 202569.6%September 202567.7%October 202572.3%November 202570.8%December 202560.9%January 202672.9%February 202669.9%March 202662.7%April 202668.6%May 202668.5%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
85%90%95%100%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%94.7%94.3%April 202591.4%May 202584.9%June 202588.8%July 202588.0%August 202586.6%September 202588.9%October 202593.5%November 202590.7%December 202591.0%January 202695.7%February 202698.6%March 202696.3%April 202696.0%May 202694.7%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
96.7%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
0.8%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
931
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
13.6%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
70.5%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
20.9%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
349
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
5.9%
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
34.7%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 5.0 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.17
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
35.3%
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
142
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
33
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
23.2%
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
94.7%
451 occupied of 476 open
Adult critical care occupancy
61.5%
8 occupied of 13 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
45.8%
of 7,546 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
27.0%
of 7,546 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
28
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
48%
of 375 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
1
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 101 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
44.5%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
101
Of 230 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.9/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
9.6/10
Better than most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
9.4/10
Better than most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
7.3/10
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)
9.5/10
Better than 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.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn
E28.1/100
East of England (North)
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentC
Specialist pathwayE
ReperfusionE
MDT assessmentD
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyE
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)

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, 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.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital (King's Lynn)Best-practice 44.5%469 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 479 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
42.7%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
479
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
9.1/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors
8.6/10
National average: 9.0/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
8.7/10
National average: 8.9/10
About the same as the national average
Enough nurses on duty
6.7/10
National average: 7.6/10
Worse than 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
9.4/10
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
6.3/10
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 543 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
45.2%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
543
Of 1,250 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
7.8/10
National average: 7.3/10
About the same as the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
2.8/10
National average: 2.6/10
About the same as the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
4.0/10
National average: 3.4/10
About the same as the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
8.2/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses
8.2/10
National average: 8.1/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care
7.6/10
National average: 7.4/10
About the same as the national average
Test results explained before you left
7.5/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
8.6/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
6.7/10
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 346 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
346
Who took part
Overall rating of care
8.7/10
National average: 8.9/10
Worse than the national average
Cancer diagnosis explained understandably
77%
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
80%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
67%
National average: 78%
Worse than 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
72%
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
40%
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)
23.7
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 24.4
Patients
91
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
100.0%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.50
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale
Knee replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
15.0
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 16.3
Patients
78
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
92.3%
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
37.3%
of 8,740 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Audiology1,91592.6%1,7731,628
Cardiology1,23358.6%723293
Ultrasound2,34518.0%4233
MRI1,48116.4%2430
Colonoscopy17714.7%262
Cystoscopy5012.0%64
Gastroscopy1395.8%80
CT scan9634.8%463
DEXA Scan1421.4%20
Neurophysiology2480.4%10
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
30%40%50%Apr 25Jan 2637.3%43.1%April 202545.3%May 202545.3%June 202549.0%July 202550.2%August 202545.4%September 202540.9%October 202538.9%November 202541.8%December 202541.4%January 202632.8%February 202631.5%March 202636.0%April 202635.6%May 202637.3%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 bacteraemia20
C. difficile8531
E. coli bacteraemia25431
MSSA bacteraemia5610
Klebsiella bacteraemia8614
Pseudomonas bacteraemia299
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
51015Dec 23Jan 25Jan 2666December 202315January 202413February 20247March 202413April 20248May 202413June 202411July 202411August 202411September 202412October 20247November 20248December 202412January 20259February 202511March 202518April 20259May 20258June 202510July 20259August 202510September 20259October 20258November 20259December 20253January 20266February 20268March 20267April 20268May 202612June 20266July 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) · 1,585 deaths vs 1,435 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
1.001.201.40Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)1.101.00December 20181.02January 20191.02February 20191.01March 20191.02April 20191.02May 20191.01June 20191.02July 20191.01August 20191.00September 20191.01October 20191.01November 20191.00December 20191.00January 20200.99February 20201.01March 20201.02April 20201.04May 20201.04June 20201.03July 20201.04August 20201.04September 20201.05October 20201.05November 20201.06December 20201.05January 20211.05February 20211.05March 20211.04April 20211.01May 20211.02June 20211.01July 20211.01August 20211.02September 20211.02October 20211.01November 20211.02December 20211.03January 20221.03February 20221.04March 20221.04April 20221.05May 20221.04June 20221.05July 20221.05August 20221.04September 20221.03October 20221.04November 20221.04December 20221.03January 20231.03February 20231.02March 20231.03April 20231.03May 20231.03June 20231.02July 20231.01August 20231.03September 20231.05October 20231.06November 20231.06December 20231.06January 20241.06February 20241.06March 20241.08April 20241.08May 20241.10June 20241.10July 20241.11August 20241.11September 20241.10October 20241.09November 20241.11December 20241.11January 20251.15February 20251.19March 20251.22April 20251.26May 20251.31June 20251.35July 20251.36August 20251.34September 20251.35October 20251.27November 20251.23December 20251.15January 20261.11February 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
Ear Nose and Throat3,08551.1%17.6 wks43.9 wks6800
Dermatology2,46867.9%10.2 wks34.5 wks500
Other - Surgicals2,38863.3%11.8 wks38.1 wks2300
Trauma and Orthopaedic2,19551.1%17.5 wks47.3 wks8810
Ophthalmology2,04265.8%11.7 wks36.0 wks2800
General Surgery1,63050.5%17.8 wks45.9 wks5800
Gynaecology1,50472.2%9.5 wks34.2 wks2710
Urology1,44966.7%12.4 wks36.3 wks4000
Cardiology1,42768.7%11.4 wks32.2 wks200
Gastroenterology1,31465.1%13.0 wks29.4 wks000
Neurology1,16662.1%14.9 wks31.9 wks000
Other - Medicals1,13274.9%9.0 wks32.7 wks100
Respiratory Medicine90855.5%15.4 wks36.4 wks000
Other - Paediatrics62569.8%7.8 wks40.5 wks1700
Rheumatology59479.5%9.7 wks24.4 wks100
Oral Surgery42877.8%7.5 wks38.9 wks1300
Other - Others42755.3%15.6 wks37.5 wks100
General Internal Medicine17394.8%1.6 wks10.6 wks000
Elderly Medicine6693.9%4.2 wks15.9 wks000
Plastic Surgery6561.5%8.3 wks40.9 wks100

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.