HospitalCheck

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Plymouth, PL6 8DH · 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
67.4% within 18 weeks · standard 92% · About this data
A&E
Below NHS standard
66.8% within 4 hours · standard 95% · About this data
Cancer
Below NHS standard
63.6% treated within 62 days · standard 85% · About this data
Diagnostics
Below NHS standard
19.9% 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

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust reported 19,002 A&E attendances in July 2026, with 66.8% of patients treated within four hours. In June 2026, the trust had 47,271 patients on its waiting list, and 67.4% 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 17 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
67.4%
National median: 66.3%
6.1 pts vs yr agoBetter than 54% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Typical (median) wait
11.1 wks
National median: 11.7 wks
1.9 wks vs yr agoBetter than 63% of trustsData: Jun 2026
Patients on the waiting list
47,271
National median: 39,587
1,005 vs yr agoData: Jun 2026
Waiting over a year
717
National median: 358.5
1,003 vs yr agoBetter than 31% of trustsData: Jun 2026
A&E patients seen within 4 hours
66.8%
National median: 74.2%
5.5 pts vs yr agoBetter than 18% of trustsData: Jul 2026
A&E attendances
19,002
National median: 14,642
2,940 vs yr agoData: Jul 2026
12-hour trolley waits
343
National median: 194
88 vs yr agoBetter than 37% of trustsData: Jul 2026

A&E performance

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

A&E attendances
19,002
All department types · latest month
Seen within 4 hours
66.8%
All department types · NHS standard: 95%
Waited over 12 hours
343
From decision-to-admit ('trolley waits')
Emergency admissions
4,372
All department types · latest month
Major A&E only (Type 1)
Attendances
9,411
Seen within 4 hours
37.1%

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)19,00266.8%
Type 1 — major A&E9,41137.1%
Type 2 — single-specialty A&E16692.2%
Type 3 — minor injury / UTC9,42596.1%

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

Cancer waiting times

Latest month: June 2026.

Faster diagnosis (28 days)
86.3%
2,674 of 3,100 treated in time
Target 75% · meets target
Treatment within 62 days
63.6%
219 of 345 treated in time
Target 85% · below target
Treatment within 31 days
91.9%
738 of 803 treated in time
Target 96% · below target
Treated within 62 days
Urgent referral to first treatment
60%70%80%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 85%63.6%64.4%April 202560.2%May 202560.6%June 202565.1%July 202565.3%August 202566.1%September 202558.1%October 202561.9%November 202557.7%December 202560.2%January 202661.2%February 202671.5%March 202666.0%April 202665.4%May 202663.6%June 2026
Faster diagnosis (28 days)
Referral to diagnosis or ruling-out
75%80%85%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 75%86.3%78.5%April 202577.7%May 202582.8%June 202580.7%July 202580.5%August 202578.9%September 202579.6%October 202580.5%November 202581.5%December 202576.0%January 202684.8%February 202684.1%March 202681.7%April 202684.5%May 202686.3%June 2026
Treated within 31 days
Decision to treat to first treatment
85%90%95%Apr 25Jan 26NHS standard 96%91.9%92.3%April 202590.7%May 202592.0%June 202590.3%July 202587.7%August 202584.8%September 202588.5%October 202588.8%November 202587.1%December 202586.9%January 202691.7%February 202693.4%March 202690.6%April 202694.5%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.

Urgent & emergency care (A&E)
% would recommend
75.5%
Rated care 'good' or 'very good'
% would not recommend
17.2%
Rated care 'poor' or 'very poor'
Responses
1,689
Number of patients who gave feedback
Response rate
9.4%
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
55.7%
Agreed · 2025 NHS Staff Survey▼ 1.5 pts vs 2024Median English trust: 63.9%
Staff engagement
6.60
out of 10 · 2025
Would recommend as a place to work
53.0%
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
363
elective ops cancelled on the day, non-clinical reasons
Not rebooked within 28 days
83
the NHS standard is a new date within 28 days
% not rebooked in time
22.9%
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
91.8%
894 occupied of 974 open
Adult critical care occupancy
41.3%
19 occupied of 46 open
Ambulance handovers over 30 minutes
47.7%
of 13,567 handovers, winter 2025-26
Ambulance handovers over 60 minutes
21.5%
of 13,567 handovers, winter 2025-26
Medically fit but not discharged
99
patients/day who no longer met the criteria to reside but stayed in hospital, week to 29 March 2026
Discharged when fit
56%
of 1,580 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 118 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
39.9%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
118
Of 300 sampled
Confidence & trust in staff (antenatal care)
8.9/10
About the same as most trusts
Kindness & compassion (labour & birth)
8.9/10
About the same as most trusts
Involved in decisions about care (labour & birth)
8.8/10
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)
8.4/10
About the same as most trusts
Midwife listened to you (postnatal care at home)
8.9/10
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.

Derriford Hospital
D52.5/100
SW Peninsula
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Hyperacute assessmentC
Specialist pathwayD
ReperfusionD
MDT assessmentC
Therapy intensityC
Therapy frequencyC
Standards by dischargeC
Case ascertainment AAudit compliance A
Wembury, Stroke Rehabilitation
B70.3/100
SW Peninsula
Domain grades (patient-centred)
Specialist pathwayA
Therapy intensityC
Therapy frequencyC
Standards by dischargeD
Case ascertainment BAudit compliance A

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

Hip fracture care (NHFD audit)

University Hospitals Plymouth 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.

Derriford HospitalBest-practice 30.1%607 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 515 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
43.5%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
515
Of 1,250 sampled
Quality of information while waiting to be admitted
7.8/10
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
9.0/10
National average: 9.0/10
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the nurses
9.0/10
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
9.3/10
National average: 9.4/10
About the same as the national average
Given enough notice about when you would leave hospital
6.8/10
National average: 6.9/10
About the same as the national average
Knew what would happen next with your care, before leaving hospital
6.7/10
National average: 6.7/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality CommissionCQC 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 242 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
26.4%
Share of those sampled who responded
Respondents
242
Of 950 sampled
Overall experience of A&E
7.1/10
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
4.6/10
National average: 3.4/10
About the same as the national average
Doctors and nurses listened to you
8.4/10
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
7.5/10
National average: 7.4/10
About the same as the national average
Test results explained before you left
7.6/10
National average: 7.5/10
About the same as the national average
Felt safe around other patients
7.8/10
National average: 7.8/10
About the same as the national average
Told how to care for your condition at home after leaving
6.0/10
National average: 6.8/10
About the same as the national average
Treated with respect and dignity
8.6/10
National average: 8.3/10
About the same as the national average

Source: Care Quality CommissionCQC 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 943 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
943
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
81%
National average: 78%
Better than 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
81%
National average: 80%
About the same as the national average
Confidence and trust in the team during hospital care
76%
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
76%
National average: 74%
About the same as the national average
Given enough information about signs of cancer returning or spreading
64%
National average: 65%
About the same as the national average
The whole care team worked well together
90%
National average: 89%
About the same as the national average
Got the support needed from your GP practice since diagnosis
44%
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)
21.0
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 23.9
Patients
85
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
97.6%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.39
General health, secondary measure, 0-1 scale
Knee replacement
Average health gain (adjusted)
18.0
Oxford Score, case-mix-adjusted, 0-48 scale
Raw gain (unadjusted): 19.0
Patients
80
Modelled records — completed the questionnaire before & after
% who improved
97.5%
Oxford Score higher after surgery than before
EQ-5D Index gain (adjusted)
0.30
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
19.9%
of 13,481 patients on the diagnostic waiting list
TestWaiting list6+ weeks6+ weeks (count)13+ weeks
Urodynamics24459.0%14460
Respiratory physiology43239.1%16939
Neurophysiology45035.3%15921
Audiology1,35834.9%474131
MRI3,18225.2%803104
Cystoscopy12020.8%2511
CT scan2,32317.1%3985
Colonoscopy26811.9%329
Ultrasound3,53710.6%37619
Gastroscopy26510.2%275
Flexi Sigmoidoscopy998.1%80
Cardiology7677.7%5910
DEXA Scan4072.0%80
Waiting 6+ weeks for a diagnostic test
All tests combined
15%17.5%20%Apr 25Jan 2619.9%15.2%April 202518.1%May 202515.9%June 202516.0%July 202520.9%August 202517.4%September 202518.0%October 202516.8%November 202519.2%December 202518.8%January 202614.2%February 202615.1%March 202619.7%April 202618.8%May 202619.9%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 bacteraemia85
C. difficile224110
E. coli bacteraemia42678
MSSA bacteraemia17655
Klebsiella bacteraemia11830
Pseudomonas bacteraemia309
Hospital-onset cases per month
All infections combined
2030Dec 23Jan 25Jan 262219December 202329January 202427February 202427March 202421April 202431May 202422June 202425July 202432August 202427September 202437October 202427November 202422December 202416January 202517February 202531March 202521April 202529May 202532June 202536July 202526August 202524September 202533October 202523November 202523December 202527January 202618February 202623March 202625April 202621May 202622June 202622July 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) · 2,555 deaths vs 2,490 expected
SHMI over time
Rolling 12-month value
1.001.101.20Dec 18Jan 20Jan 21Jan 22Jan 23Jan 24Jan 25Jan 26As expected (1.00)1.021.11December 20181.13January 20191.13February 20191.14March 20191.15April 20191.16May 20191.15June 20191.13July 20191.13August 20191.13September 20191.10October 20191.10November 20191.10December 20191.09January 20201.08February 20201.08March 20201.07April 20201.06May 20201.07June 20201.10July 20201.10August 20201.10September 20201.12October 20201.12November 20201.12December 20201.14January 20211.15February 20211.15March 20211.17April 20211.16May 20211.16June 20211.18July 20211.18August 20211.18September 20211.16October 20211.16November 20211.15December 20211.13January 20221.12February 20221.13March 20221.14April 20221.13May 20221.11June 20221.10July 20221.09August 20221.09September 20221.09October 20221.08November 20221.08December 20221.06January 20231.07February 20231.06March 20231.05April 20231.08May 20231.08June 20231.07July 20231.08August 20231.08September 20231.09October 20231.07November 20231.08December 20231.10January 20241.11February 20241.11March 20241.11April 20241.12May 20241.13June 20241.13July 20241.12August 20241.13September 20241.15October 20241.17November 20241.17December 20241.17January 20251.22February 20251.25March 20251.25April 20251.25May 20251.24June 20251.23July 20251.24August 20251.22September 20251.21October 20251.16November 20251.13December 20251.09January 20261.05February 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
Other - Surgicals6,37863.8%11.7 wks41.3 wks13992
Ophthalmology5,74069.3%10.9 wks36.7 wks3700
Other - Medicals4,55772.5%10.2 wks31.3 wks1200
Ear Nose and Throat4,07373.2%10.4 wks33.2 wks1810
Trauma and Orthopaedic3,42354.7%16.1 wks48.6 wks205102
Cardiology3,10257.8%15.3 wks39.6 wks4741
Gynaecology2,96261.4%14.2 wks42.4 wks8450
Urology2,86764.8%10.8 wks38.8 wks5021
Dermatology2,35590.4%4.9 wks20.2 wks000
Neurology2,05969.8%11.8 wks36.4 wks1300
Neurosurgical1,91661.1%13.4 wks43.8 wks59174
Respiratory Medicine1,86767.1%11.6 wks35.3 wks1100
Other - Paediatrics1,52758.6%14.2 wks38.9 wks200
Gastroenterology1,33969.2%10.5 wks31.5 wks100
Plastic Surgery1,05370.4%8.0 wks40.4 wks1400
Other - Others90289.9%4.8 wks21.4 wks622
Cardiothoracic Surgery54156.4%15.5 wks43.9 wks1941
Rheumatology51986.7%6.0 wks21.8 wks000
General Internal Medicine5494.4%2.0 wks11.9 wks000
General Surgery2387.0%7.3 wks23.2 wks000
Elderly Medicine1492.9%4.0 wks11.9 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.