An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a swelling in the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart through the tummy. Most do not cause problems, but a large aneurysm can burst, which is a life-threatening emergency. Men are offered an ultrasound screening test when they turn 65.
A large aneurysm may be repaired with a planned operation, either open surgery or a stent inserted through the arteries in the groin (endovascular repair). The National Vascular Registry publishes the number of planned repairs at each trust and deaths in hospital afterwards, adjusted for differences between patients. Call 999 for sudden, severe pain in the tummy or back.
Hospitals in the South East
5 trusts in the South East with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
| Trust | Volume bandPlanned (elective) AAA repairs in 2024 (NVR) | Key outcomeDeaths in hospital after planned repair (adjusted) | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Buckland Hospital, Kent & Canterbury Hospital, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, William Harvey HospitalCase ascertainment published as 70%-84%: not every operation was entered in the registry. | 50 or more58 planned (elective) AAA repairs in 2024 | 0.0%National: 1.3%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.3 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Buckland Hospital: Good (CQC report for Buckland Hospital) Kent & Canterbury Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Kent & Canterbury Hospital) Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital) Royal Victoria Hospital: Good (CQC report for Royal Victoria Hospital) William Harvey Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for William Harvey Hospital) |
| Frimley Health NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Farnham Hospital, Frimley Park Hospital, Heatherwood Hospital, Wexham Park Hospital | 40 to 4949 planned (elective) AAA repairs in 2024 | 3.1%National: 1.3%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.3 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Frimley Park Hospital: Good (CQC report for Frimley Park Hospital) Wexham Park Hospital: Outstanding (CQC report for Wexham Park Hospital) |
| Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Churchill Hospital, Horton General Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic CentreCase ascertainment published as 50%-59%: not every operation was entered in the registry. | 40 to 4945 planned (elective) AAA repairs in 2024 | 4.0%National: 1.3%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.2 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Churchill Hospital: Good (CQC report for Churchill Hospital) Horton General Hospital: Good (CQC report for Horton General Hospital) John Radcliffe Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for John Radcliffe Hospital) Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre: Good (CQC report for Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre) |
| University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton General Hospital | 50 or more64 planned (elective) AAA repairs in 2024 | 1.0%National: 1.3%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.3 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Princess Anne Hospital: Good (CQC report for Princess Anne Hospital) Southampton General Hospital: Good (CQC report for Southampton General Hospital) |
| University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Bexhill Hospital, Lewes Victoria Hospital, Princess Royal Hospital, Royal Sussex County Hospital, Southlands Hospital, St Richard’s Hospital, Worthing HospitalCase ascertainment published as 40%-49%: not every operation was entered in the registry. | 40 to 4949 planned (elective) AAA repairs in 2024 | 0.0%National: 1.3%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) | Bexhill Hospital: Good (CQC report for Bexhill Hospital) Princess Royal Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Princess Royal Hospital) Royal Sussex County Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Royal Sussex County Hospital) Southlands Hospital: Good (CQC report for Southlands Hospital) St Richard's Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for St Richard's Hospital) Worthing Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Worthing 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 64 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.
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (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.