A stroke is a medical emergency: call 999 if you notice signs such as a face drooping on one side, weakness in one arm or slurred speech. Treatment in the first hours may include medicine to dissolve a blood clot (thrombolysis) or a procedure to remove it (thrombectomy).
Ambulances take people with a suspected stroke to a hospital with a specialist stroke unit. In some areas this is a hyperacute stroke unit (HASU) for the first days, followed by a stroke unit closer to home. The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) gives every team a level from A to E each quarter, based on how well it meets national standards.
Hospitals in the North East
9 stroke teams in the North East with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
| Stroke team | Volume bandStroke patients, January to March 2026 (SSNAP) | Key outcomeSSNAP level (A to E) | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman HospitalStroke team · NHS · The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Fewer than 7534 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level CScore 61.5 out of 100Levels by area of care
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 HospitalStroke team · NHS · South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 150 to 249193 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level DScore 55 out of 100Levels by area of care
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) |
| North Tyneside General HospitalStroke team · NHS · Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | Fewer than 7545 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level DScore 44 out of 100Levels by area of care
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 North Tyneside General Hospital) |
| Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care HospitalHyperacute stroke unit · NHS · Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 250 or more250 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level DScore 53.8 out of 100Levels by area of care
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 HospitalStroke team · NHS · Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | Fewer than 7569 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level DScore 49.4 out of 100Levels by area of care
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 InfirmaryStroke team · NHS · The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 250 or more307 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level CScore 67.5 out of 100Levels by area of care
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) |
| Sunderland Royal HospitalStroke team · NHS · South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FT | 150 to 249187 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level DScore 51.2 out of 100Levels by area of care
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 DurhamStroke team · NHS · County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | 150 to 249246 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level DScore 53.8 out of 100Levels by area of care
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) |
| Wansbeck General HospitalStroke team · NHS · Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | Fewer than 7559 stroke patients in January to March 2026 (one quarter) | Level DScore 47.5 out of 100Levels by area of care
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) | Outstanding (CQC report for Wansbeck General Hospital) |
How stroke teams across England, Wales and Northern Ireland were placed in this quarter: A - 0 teams (0.0%); B - 17 teams (7.9%); C - 20 teams (9.3%); D - 117 teams (54.7%); E - 60 teams (28.0%).
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 stroke teams in the SSNAP January to March 2026 results in the published table, rounded. So about a quarter of stroke teams in the SSNAP January to March 2026 results 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
- Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) Full Results Portfolio, January to March 2026, SSNAP (King's College London) for HQIP. Source: Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP), 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.
- Stroke (NHS website)
- Treatment for a stroke (NHS website)
- Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme results (data.gov.uk) (SSNAP)
- Adult inpatient survey (Care Quality Commission)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us.