HospitalCheck

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Birmingham, B15 2GW · 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
66.6% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
68.8% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
71.0% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
41.6% 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

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust reported 47,257 A&E attendances in September 2026, with 68.8% of patients seen within four hours. In August 2026, the trust had 96,056 patients on its waiting list, and 66.6% were seen within 18 weeks of referral. Additionally, 57% of staff in the 2025 survey said they would be happy for a friend or relative to be treated there.

Automatically generated from the official figures on this page and checked to restate only those figures. Last generated 9 October 2026. This is a plain-English summary, not medical advice. About these summaries

CQC-registered locations of this trust

Trust performance

Treated or seen within 18 weeks
66.6%
National median: 65.8%
▲ 10.9 pts vs yr agoBetter than 56% of trustsData: Aug 2026
Typical (median) wait
11.8 wks
National median: 12.2 wks
▼ 3.3 wks vs yr agoBetter than 60% of trustsData: Aug 2026
Patients on the waiting list
96,056
National median: 39,285
▼ 1,801 vs yr agoData: Aug 2026
Waiting over a year
174
National median: 364
▼ 4,059 vs yr agoBetter than 61% of trustsData: Aug 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
68.8%
National median: 73.3%
▲ 4.4 pts vs yr agoBetter than 27% of trustsData: Sep 2026
A&E attendances
47,257
National median: 14,631
▲ 8,640 vs yr agoData: Sep 2026
12-hour trolley waits
2,085
National median: 228
▲ 393 vs yr agoBetter than 0% of trustsData: Sep 2026

A&E performance

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

A&E attendances
47,257
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
68.8%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
2,085
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
18,799
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
34,437
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)47,25768.8%
Type 1 — major A&E34,43757.3%
Type 2 — single-specialty A&E407100.0%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC12,41399.6%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: August 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
87.1%
3,293 of 3,782 treated in time
Target 75% · meets target
Treatment within 62 days
71.0%
377 of 531 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
91.3%
1,137 of 1,245 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
50%60%70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%71.0%53.3%April 202554.6%May 202557.9%June 202562.0%July 202564.1%August 202562.2%September 202563.2%October 202564.5%November 202568.4%December 202563.6%January 202667.3%February 202672.2%March 202665.4%April 202668.0%May 202670.2%June 202672.0%July 202671.0%August 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
75%80%85%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%87.1%76.7%April 202574.9%May 202573.2%June 202574.0%July 202575.2%August 202575.0%September 202575.0%October 202578.5%November 202583.5%December 202580.9%January 202686.0%February 202685.4%March 202684.4%April 202687.0%May 202686.6%June 202686.7%July 202687.1%August 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
90%95%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%91.3%89.4%April 202589.2%May 202591.5%June 202591.7%July 202590.5%August 202592.1%September 202591.9%October 202589.8%November 202590.9%December 202587.7%January 202691.2%February 202692.5%March 202691.1%April 202692.4%May 202691.4%June 202691.9%July 202691.3%August 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: August 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
89.9%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
5.0%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
706
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
5.1%
Responses as a share of those eligible
Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
73.0%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
19.0%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
1,392
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
7.7%
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
57.0%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 0.1 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.62
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
53.9%
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
856
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
354
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
41.4%
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 days of 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
95.9%
2,289 occupied of 2,388 open
Adult critical care occupancy
92.7%
89 occupied of 96 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
46.8%
of 39,347 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
25.4%
of 39,347 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
255
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
43%
of 3,117 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
10
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 139 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
28.7%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
139
Of 491 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.6/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
9.0/10
About the same as most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
8.6/10
About the same as most trusts
Got help from staff when needed (in hospital, after the birth)
7.6/10
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.

Birmingham Heartlands Hospital
E20.0/100
West Midlands
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentE
Specialist pathwayE
ReperfusionE
MDT assessmentE
Therapy intensityE
Therapy frequencyE
Standards by dischargeE
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A
Good Hope General Hospital
E24.9/100
West Midlands
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentE
Specialist pathwayE
ReperfusionE
MDT assessmentE
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeE
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance B
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Edgbaston
E38.0/100
West Midlands
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentC
Specialist pathwayD
ReperfusionD
MDT assessmentC
Therapy intensityD
Therapy frequencyD
Standards by dischargeE
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance B

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

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust · National Hip Fracture Database, 2023 audit year · "Met best-practice criteria" is the audit's own composite measure of hip-fracture care PROCESSES at each hospital this trust runs.

Birmingham Heartlands HospitalBest-practice 65.9%1,212 cases
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, EdgbastonBest-practice 27.8%62 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 415 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
36.0%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
415
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
7.9/10
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
8.6/10
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
7.0/10
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
6.5/10
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 319 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
27.0%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
319
Of 1,250 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
6.9/10
National average: 7.3/10
About the same as the national average
Told how long you'd wait to be examined
2.3/10
National average: 2.6/10
About the same as the national average
Kept updated on your waiting time
2.4/10
National average: 3.4/10
About the same as 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
8.3/10
National average: 8.1/10
About the same as the national average
Involved in decisions about your care
7.1/10
National average: 7.4/10
About the same as the national average
Test results explained before you left
7.3/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
7.1/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
6.3/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
7.9/10
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 1,185 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
1,185
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
77%
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
79%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
71%
National average: 78%
Worse than the national average
Always treated with respect and dignity in hospital
83%
National average: 88%
Worse than 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
62%
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
41%
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

Diagnostic test waits

Latest month: August 2026. The operational standard is that under 1% should wait more than 6 weeks.

Waiting 6+ weeks for a test
41.6%
of 43,763 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Neurophysiology5,23888.2%4,6203,487
Urodynamics17160.8%10477
Gastroscopy2,20057.4%1,262985
Cystoscopy58056.0%325196
Colonoscopy2,29755.9%1,284907
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy58053.6%311218
Audiology84948.4%411132
Ultrasound16,45542.5%7,0001,265
DEXA Scan2,22939.0%87075
MRI7,11119.7%1,400258
CT scan3,82814.8%56542
Respiratory physiology5224.2%2212
Cardiology1,7031.2%200
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
38%40%42%44%Apr 25Jan 2641.6%39.8%April 202540.2%May 202538.5%June 202537.5%July 202540.5%August 202538.3%September 202538.7%October 202539.3%November 202542.1%December 202543.9%January 202639.3%February 202640.4%March 202642.8%April 202642.7%May 202640.7%June 202640.2%July 202641.6%August 2026

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

Safety: infections

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

InfectionCases (12 mo)Hospital-onset
MRSA bacteraemia329
C. difficile613302
E. coli bacteraemia1,246280
MSSA bacteraemia353122
Klebsiella bacteraemia421137
Pseudomonas bacteraemia10041
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
6080100Dec 23Jan 25Jan 267473December 202362January 202470February 202479March 202484April 202481May 202466June 202463July 202493August 202452September 202492October 2024102November 202478December 202490January 202581February 202582March 202575April 202572May 202561June 202572July 202565August 202575September 202568October 202576November 202572December 202567January 202670February 202679March 202690April 202670May 202669June 202681July 202674August 2026

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

Mortality (SHMI)

12 months to May 2026.

As expected
0.92
SHMI value (1.00 = as many deaths as expected) · 6,865 deaths vs 7,450 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
0.951.00Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)0.920.98December 20180.97January 20190.98February 20190.98March 20190.98April 20190.99May 20190.98June 20190.98July 20190.97August 20190.98September 20190.98October 20190.98November 20190.98December 20190.98January 20200.98February 20200.98March 20200.98April 20200.97May 20200.97June 20200.96July 20200.96August 20200.94September 20200.95October 20200.95November 20200.95December 20200.96January 20210.95February 20210.95March 20210.96April 20210.98May 20210.99June 20211.00July 20211.01August 20211.01September 20211.01October 20211.01November 20211.00December 20211.01January 20221.00February 20220.99March 20220.99April 20220.99May 20220.99June 20220.98July 20220.98August 20220.99September 20220.99October 20220.98November 20220.98December 20220.98January 20230.98February 20230.98March 20230.98April 20230.98May 20230.97June 20230.98July 20230.97August 20230.99September 20230.98October 20230.98November 20230.98December 20230.98January 20240.97February 20240.96March 20240.95April 20240.96May 20240.96June 20240.95July 20240.95August 20240.93September 20240.93October 20240.93November 20240.92December 20240.92January 20250.92February 20250.93March 20250.93April 20250.93May 20250.93June 20250.93July 20250.92August 20250.92September 20250.92October 20250.92November 20250.92December 20250.93January 20260.93February 20260.92March 20260.92April 20260.92May 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: August 2026 · Source: NHS England Referral to Treatment statistics (incomplete pathways)

SpecialtyWaitingWithin 18 wksMedian wait9 in 10 wait under52+ wks65+ wks78+ wks
Other - Medicals11,68172.2%10.0 wks29.6 wks1500
Ophthalmology9,45665.4%12.0 wks32.6 wks5340
Gynaecology8,83145.9%20.2 wks39.3 wks100
Ear Nose and Throat8,44067.7%12.8 wks33.5 wks5700
Gastroenterology6,66867.2%11.4 wks30.1 wks000
Urology6,59865.6%12.2 wks33.6 wks710
Dermatology5,97470.4%9.8 wks32.7 wks100
Other - Surgicals5,45870.0%9.6 wks29.9 wks300
Cardiology4,91088.0%8.0 wks19.7 wks100
Trauma and Orthopaedic4,70777.2%8.6 wks27.1 wks000
General Surgery4,53159.0%13.1 wks31.3 wks100
Neurology4,10150.5%17.7 wks40.4 wks000
Respiratory Medicine3,21570.9%10.5 wks31.8 wks000
Other - Paediatrics2,70067.8%12.4 wks32.3 wks900
Oral Surgery2,34447.4%19.3 wks44.4 wks1800
Neurosurgical1,97555.5%15.6 wks35.8 wks000
Other - Others1,81186.4%7.1 wks23.5 wks510
Rheumatology1,03384.9%7.7 wks22.5 wks000
Plastic Surgery81265.9%11.4 wks36.2 wks300
General Internal Medicine32993.9%6.0 wks14.2 wks000
Elderly Medicine27783.8%5.8 wks19.9 wks000
Cardiothoracic Surgery16782.0%6.9 wks25.6 wks000
Other - Mental Healths38100.0%5.3 wks12.0 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.