A carotid endarterectomy is an operation to remove fatty deposits from one of the carotid arteries in the neck, which carry blood to the brain. Narrowed carotid arteries increase the chance of a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), and the operation helps to prevent stroke.
The operation usually takes 1 to 2 hours, and you may stay in hospital for a few days. It is often done soon after a TIA or minor stroke. The National Vascular Registry publishes each trust's rate of stroke or death after the operation, adjusted for differences between patients.
Hospitals in the North East
3 trusts in the North East with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
| Trust | Volume bandCarotid endarterectomies in 2024 (NVR) | Key outcomeStroke or death within 30 days (adjusted) | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Freeman Hospital, Royal Victoria Infirmary | 50 or more84 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 3.4%National: 1.8%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.4 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Freeman Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Freeman Hospital) Royal Victoria Infirmary: Not Rated (CQC report for Royal Victoria Infirmary) |
| South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital, Redcar Primary Care Hospital, The James Cook University Hospital | 40 to 4946 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 2.7%National: 1.8%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.4 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Redcar Primary Care Hospital: Good (CQC report for Redcar Primary Care Hospital) The James Cook University Hospital: Good (CQC report for The James Cook University Hospital) |
| South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FTWhole trust. Hospitals: South Tyneside District Hospital, Sunderland Royal Hospital, Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital | 50 or more54 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 1.4%National: 1.8%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | South Tyneside District Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for South Tyneside District Hospital) Sunderland Royal Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Sunderland Royal Hospital) Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital: Good (CQC report for Sunderland Specialist Eye 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.
- Volume bands. Cut points are the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of all 66 trusts and health boards in the NVR table in the published table, rounded. So about a quarter of trusts and health boards in the NVR table fall in each band. The exact number is shown under the band.
- 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.
- National figures. National figure: England row of the NVR appendix tables.
- 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
- National Vascular Registry (NVR) 2025 State of the Nation report appendices, VSQIP (Royal College of Surgeons of England) for HQIP. Source: National Vascular Registry 2025 State of the Nation report appendices. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025 (trust benchmark results), Care Quality Commission. Source: Care Quality Commission, NHS Patient Survey Programme, Adult Inpatient 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 26 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 26 October 2026.
- What is a carotid endarterectomy? (NHS website)
- Carotid endarterectomy: why it's done (NHS website)
- National Vascular Registry 2025 State of the Nation report (VSQIP)
- Adult inpatient survey (Care Quality Commission)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us.