RCHT ranked among top performing NHS trusts in England

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has been placed in the top tier of acute and specialist trusts in a new national performance dashboard published by NHS England.

RCHT has been placed in ‘Segment 2’, putting it among the top 20 acute and specialist trusts in the country. When compared specifically to large acute trusts, RCHT ranks fourth nationally.

The new interactive dashboard provides a transparent view of how NHS trusts across England are performing, using 21 different metrics to assess organisations. Trusts are given a segment rating between 1 and 4, with 1 representing the highest performance level.

RCHT is performing particularly well in planned care, ranking 12 out of 131 trusts for access to planned care waits under 18 weeks. The trust also excels in cancer care, placing 10 out of 118 trusts for cancer referral to treatment within 62 days.

RCHT’s overall rating has been affected by urgent and emergency care performance during the April to June 2025 period, which includes ambulance handover delays and waiting times. However, it has seen significant recent improvements in these areas due to developments on patient flow throughout its hospitals.

The segmentation scores will be updated quarterly, with the summary information accessible to the public on the NHS England website.

Steve Williamson, Chief Executive Officer for RCHT, said:

“Our strong performance in the new league tables reflects the outstanding care and commitment our staff give to patient care, and I want to thank them for their work which has led directly to the positive news we have today. Together, and with the continued support of our NHS, community, and voluntary sector partners who are helping us to make a difference, it is within our grasp to build on the improvements we are achieving, and put our hospitals among the top performing, Segment 1, trusts.”

Susan Bracefield, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board said:

“Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust provides vital planned care and cancer treatment services for local people, and it’s great to see these areas recognised with the hospital ranked among the top 20 acute trusts in the country in the new league tables. This is down to the commitment and hard work of staff delivering for patients every day. 

“We are also pleased to see the progress being made to improve urgent and emergency care by reducing delays and supporting people who are ready to leave hospital. This reflects the strength of partnership working across our systems with NHS, council, community and voluntary sector partners working together to put the patient’s care at the heart of what we all do.”