An emergency laparotomy is urgent surgery on the abdomen, usually on the bowel, for problems such as a blocked or torn bowel, bleeding or serious infection such as peritonitis. Many patients are older or very unwell, and it is one of the highest-risk operations hospitals carry out.
You do not choose the hospital for emergency surgery. The National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) publishes each hospital's death rate within 30 days, adjusted for how ill patients were, together with the range that would be expected for a hospital of that size (funnel limits).
Hospitals in the North East
10 hospitals in the North East with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
| Hospital | Volume bandEmergency laparotomies, NELA year 11 | Key outcome30-day deaths (risk-adjusted) and NELA funnel limits | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington Memorial HospitalNHS · County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149117 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 7.51%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3% to 13.8%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 7.9 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Darlington Memorial Hospital) |
| Freeman HospitalNHS · The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOnly 43% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | Fewer than 7520 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 6.01%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: up to 24.5% (no lower limit published)More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.4 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Freeman Hospital) |
| The James Cook University HospitalNHS · South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more252 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 12.18%Above the upper 95% funnel limit95% limits for a hospital of this size: 4.7% to 11.8%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.4 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for The James Cook University Hospital) |
| Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care HospitalNHS · Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more323 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 7.02%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 5.1% to 11.4%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | Better than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 8.7 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital) |
| Queen Elizabeth HospitalNHS · Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149124 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 9.84%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.3% to 13.6%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | Better than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 8.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Queen Elizabeth Hospital) |
| Royal Victoria InfirmaryNHS · The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149144 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 5.72%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.6% to 13.2%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.4 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Not Rated (CQC report for Royal Victoria Infirmary) |
| South Tyneside District HospitalNHS · South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FT | Fewer than 7549 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 3.27%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 0.3% to 17.7%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for South Tyneside District Hospital) |
| Sunderland Royal HospitalNHS · South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FT | 150 or more193 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 11.9%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 4.2% to 12.4%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Sunderland Royal Hospital) |
| University Hospital North DurhamNHS · County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149114 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 4.2%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3% to 13.9%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 7.9 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for University Hospital North Durham) |
| University Hospital of North TeesNHS · North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more171 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 10.45%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.9% to 12.7%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.3 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for University Hospital of North Tees) |
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 172 hospitals in the NELA year 11 table in the published table, rounded. So about a quarter of hospitals in the NELA year 11 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. Volumes and outcomes here are for each hospital or team, but waiting times and the CQC inpatient survey are for the whole trust.
- 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
- National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) Year 11 hospital table and outlier table, NELA (Royal College of Anaesthetists) for HQIP. Source: National Emergency Laparotomy Audit (NELA) Year 11 report, RCoA / HQIP, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
- 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.
- NELA: information for patients and the public (National Emergency Laparotomy Audit)
- Peritonitis (NHS website)
- National Emergency Laparotomy Audit: eleventh annual report (NELA)
- Adult inpatient survey (Care Quality Commission)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us.