A caesarean section is an operation to deliver a baby through a cut in the tummy and womb. It may be planned, usually from the 39th week of pregnancy, or done in an emergency if vaginal birth is too risky. Around 45% of babies born in England are delivered by caesarean.
Caesarean rates and other birth outcomes for each hospital are published by the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit, but not yet as a file we can use. This page shows how women rated their maternity care in the Care Quality Commission's maternity survey for each trust. Speak to your midwife about where to give birth.
London hospitals
21 London trusts with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
Hospital-level numbers for this specific operation are not published as open data. The activity column is context only: it shows the trust's overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R (pregnancy and childbirth) in 2025-26, from Hospital Episode Statistics, in bands. It covers many other procedures as well as this one, it is for the whole trust rather than one hospital, and it does not include private patients. It is not a count of this operation.
| Trust | Trust activity (context)Trust's overall NHS-funded activity, OPCS-4 chapter R (pregnancy and childbirth), 2025-26 (HES). Context only | Key outcomeNo hospital-level outcome data published | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: King George Hospital, Queen’s Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 39 about the same as other trusts, 13 somewhat worse than expected, 15 worse than expected, 1 much worse than expected (whole trust) | King George Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for King George Hospital) Queen's Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Queen's Hospital) |
| Barts Health NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Newham University Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, The Royal London Hospital, Whipps Cross University Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 48 about the same as other trusts, 7 somewhat worse than expected, 11 worse than expected, 2 much worse than expected (whole trust) | Newham University Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Newham University Hospital) St Bartholomew's Hospital: Good (CQC report for St Bartholomew's Hospital) The Royal London Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for The Royal London Hospital) Whipps Cross University Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Whipps Cross University Hospital) |
| Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, West Middlesex University Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 65 about the same as other trusts, 1 somewhat better than expected, 1 worse than expected, 1 somewhat worse than expected (whole trust) | Chelsea and Westminster Hospital: Good (CQC report for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital) West Middlesex University Hospital: Good (CQC report for West Middlesex University Hospital) |
| Croydon Health Services NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Croydon University Hospital | 3,000 to 3,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 62 about the same as other trusts, 4 somewhat worse than expected (whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Croydon University Hospital) |
| Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: St Helier Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children | 4,000 to 4,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 62 about the same as other trusts, 2 better than expected, 1 much better than expected, 1 somewhat better than expected (whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for St Helier Hospital and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children) |
| Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Great Ormond Street Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | Not published | Good (CQC report for Great Ormond Street Hospital) |
| Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Guy’s Hospital, Harefield Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, St Thomas’ HospitalHES 2023-24 and 2024-25 published this trust under a flagged code (RJ1-X). The guide uses 2025-26 only, which is not flagged. | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 59 about the same as other trusts, 4 somewhat worse than expected, 1 worse than expected, 1 somewhat better than expected, 1 better than expected (whole trust) | Guy's Hospital: Good (CQC report for Guy's Hospital) Harefield Hospital: Good (CQC report for Harefield Hospital) Royal Brompton Hospital: Good (CQC report for Royal Brompton Hospital) St Thomas' Hospital: Good (CQC report for St Thomas' Hospital) |
| The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Mount Vernon Hospital, The Hillingdon Hospital | 3,000 to 3,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 64 questions: 51 about the same as other trusts, 3 somewhat better than expected, 5 better than expected, 4 somewhat worse than expected, 1 much better than expected (whole trust) | Mount Vernon Hospital: Good (CQC report for Mount Vernon Hospital) The Hillingdon Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for The Hillingdon Hospital) |
| Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Homerton University Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 61 about the same as other trusts, 3 somewhat worse than expected, 1 much better than expected, 1 worse than expected (whole trust) | Outstanding (CQC report for Homerton University Hospital) |
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital, Western Eye Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 58 about the same as other trusts, 3 worse than expected, 1 better than expected, 2 somewhat worse than expected, 2 somewhat better than expected (whole trust) | Charing Cross Hospital: Good (CQC report for Charing Cross Hospital) Hammersmith Hospitals: Requires improvement (CQC report for Hammersmith Hospitals) Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital: Outstanding (CQC report for Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital) St Mary's Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for St Mary's Hospital) |
| King's College Hospital NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: King’s College Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 66 about the same as other trusts, 1 somewhat better than expected, 1 worse than expected (whole trust) | King's College Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for King's College Hospital) Princess Royal University Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Princess Royal University Hospital) |
| Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Kingston Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 39 about the same as other trusts, 17 better than expected, 5 somewhat better than expected, 5 much better than expected (whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Kingston Hospital) |
| Lewisham and Greenwich NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospital Lewisham | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 5 somewhat better than expected, 56 about the same as other trusts, 5 better than expected, 1 worse than expected, 1 much better than expected (whole trust) | Queen Elizabeth Hospital: Good (CQC report for Queen Elizabeth Hospital) University Hospital Lewisham: Requires improvement (CQC report for University Hospital Lewisham) |
| London North West University Healthcare NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Central Middlesex Hospital, Ealing Hospital, Northwick Park Hospital, St Mark’s Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 60 about the same as other trusts, 4 somewhat better than expected, 1 much better than expected, 1 worse than expected (whole trust) | Central Middlesex Hospital: Good (CQC report for Central Middlesex Hospital) Ealing Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Ealing Hospital) Northwick Park Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Northwick Park Hospital) |
| Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Moorfields Eye Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | Not published | Outstanding (CQC report for Moorfields Eye Hospital) |
| Royal Free London NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Barnet General Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital, The Royal Free Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 61 about the same as other trusts, 4 somewhat worse than expected, 3 worse than expected (whole trust) | Barnet General Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Barnet General Hospital) Chase Farm Hospital: Good (CQC report for Chase Farm Hospital) North Middlesex University Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for North Middlesex University Hospital) The Royal Free Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for The Royal Free Hospital) |
| The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: The Royal Marsden, London, The Royal Marsden, Sutton | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | Not published | The Royal Marsden, London: Outstanding (CQC report for The Royal Marsden, London) The Royal Marsden, Sutton: Outstanding (CQC report for The Royal Marsden, Sutton) |
| Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | Not published | Good (CQC report for The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore) |
| St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: St George’s Hospital, Tooting | 4,000 to 4,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 62 questions: 58 about the same as other trusts, 1 somewhat worse than expected, 2 somewhat better than expected, 1 better than expected (whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for St George's Hospital, Tooting) |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Hospital For Tropical Diseases, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, University College Hospital & Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing, University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 46 questions: 33 about the same as other trusts, 10 worse than expected, 2 somewhat worse than expected, 1 much better than expected (whole trust) | The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery: Good (CQC report for The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery) University College Hospital & Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing: Good (CQC report for University College Hospital & Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing) |
| Whittington Health NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: The Whittington Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 64 questions: 56 about the same as other trusts, 1 somewhat worse than expected, 2 somewhat better than expected, 4 better than expected, 1 much better than expected (whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for The Whittington Hospital) |
Across England
In 2025-26, NHS-funded care in England (NHS hospitals and NHS patients treated by independent providers; private patients are not included) recorded 244,968 episodes where the main procedure was planned and other caesarean deliveries (OPCS-4 R17 and R18). 0% were day cases. Half of the people admitted from a waiting list had waited less than about 15 days from the decision to admit them. These are national figures from Hospital Episode Statistics (NHS England, 2025-26, Open Government Licence v3.0); the same detail is not published for each hospital.
How to read this
- Not a ranking. The table is in alphabetical order. A higher volume does not on its own mean better care, and we do not combine the columns into a score.
- Trust activity (Hospital Episode Statistics). The bands show the trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in a whole chapter of the procedure classification (OPCS-4), for context. They are not a count of this operation, they are for the whole trust rather than one hospital, they exclude private patients, and we show bands only, not exact counts. Cut points are the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of all 118 NHS trusts in England with activity in OPCS-4 chapter R in the published table, rounded.
- Risk adjustment. Where a figure says “adjusted”, the audit has allowed for differences in the patients each hospital treats, such as age and other illnesses. Hospitals that take on more complex cases can still look different for reasons the adjustment does not capture.
- Bands and limits. We only say a result is higher or lower than expected when the source itself says so (for example NJR outlier status, NELA funnel limits, SSNAP levels, CQC survey bands). Where the source publishes a rate without limits we show the rate and the national figure, and say “No banding published”.
- Small numbers. A small hospital can have 0% or a high percentage by chance. Figures the source suppresses are shown as “Not published (small numbers)”.
- Trust or hospital. This audit publishes figures for each NHS trust, which may run several hospitals. The operation may only be done at one of them.
- Different periods. Each figure has its own period, shown next to it. Audit results describe operations done one to three years ago; waiting times are updated monthly.
- Talk to your GP or consultant about what the figures mean for you. If you are referred for planned care in England, you can usually choose your hospital.
Full definitions: methodology and data dictionary.
Data sources and licences
- Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2025-26 (Hospital Episode Statistics), NHS England. Source: Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2025-26, NHS England, part of the Government Statistical Service (published 24 September 2026). Copyright © 2026, NHS England. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. NHS-funded activity only. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, NHS England. Source: NHS England, Referral to Treatment waiting times. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), NHS England. Source: NHS England, Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC Maternity Survey 2025 (trust benchmark results), Care Quality Commission. Source: Care Quality Commission, NHS Patient Survey Programme, Maternity Survey 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC ratings, Care Quality Commission. CQC ratings: Care Quality Commission. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Healthcare-associated infections: annual counts and rates by trust (financial year 2025 to 2026), UK Health Security Agency. Source: UK Health Security Agency, healthcare-associated infection annual data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
Data last updated 22 October 2026. We do not change the published figures; we only group volumes into bands. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Sources
We checked this guide against these official pages on 22 October 2026.
- Caesarean section (NHS website)
- Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2025-26 (NHS England)
- Adult inpatient survey (Care Quality Commission)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us.