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 South East
23 hospitals in the South 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basingstoke and North Hampshire HospitalNHS · Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149101 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 4.65%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 2.7% to 14.3%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) | Good (CQC report for Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital) |
| Churchill HospitalNHS · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOnly 0% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | Not published (small numbers) | Not published (small numbers)More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.2 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Churchill Hospital) |
| Conquest HospitalNHS · East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | 100 to 149138 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 9.4%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.5% to 13.3%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) | Outstanding (CQC report for Conquest Hospital) |
| Darent Valley HospitalNHS · Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust | 100 to 149135 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 12.29%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.4% to 13.3%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | Worse than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 7.7 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Darent Valley Hospital) |
| East Surrey HospitalNHS · Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | 150 or more189 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 5.99%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 4.2% to 12.5%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.2 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for East Surrey Hospital) |
| Frimley Park HospitalNHS · Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more166 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 5.97%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.9% to 12.8%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) | Good (CQC report for Frimley Park Hospital) |
| John Radcliffe HospitalNHS · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more306 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 6.78%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 5% to 11.4%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.2 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for John Radcliffe Hospital) |
| Medway Maritime HospitalNHS · Medway NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149140 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 13.2%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.5% to 13.3%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 7.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Medway Maritime Hospital) |
| Milton Keynes HospitalNHS · Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more167 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 11.3%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.9% to 12.8%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) | Good (CQC report for Milton Keynes Hospital) |
| Queen Alexandra HospitalNHS · Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS TrustOnly 31% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | 75 to 9980 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 7.65%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 1.9% to 15.2%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) | Good (CQC report for Queen Alexandra Hospital) |
| Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother HospitalNHS · East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149109 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 8.25%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 2.9% to 14.1%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 Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital) |
| Royal Berkshire HospitalNHS · Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more220 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 7.57%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 4.5% to 12.1%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) | Good (CQC report for Royal Berkshire Hospital) |
| Royal Hampshire County HospitalNHS · Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOnly 48% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | Fewer than 7551 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 3.9%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 0.4% to 17.4%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) | Good (CQC report for Royal Hampshire County Hospital) |
| Royal Surrey County HospitalNHS · Royal Surrey NHS Foundation TrustOnly 51% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | 100 to 149110 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 1.9%Below the lower 95% funnel limit95% limits for a hospital of this size: 2.9% to 14%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.5 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Outstanding (CQC report for Royal Surrey County Hospital) |
| Royal Sussex County HospitalNHS · University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more195 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 9.88%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 8.4 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Royal Sussex County Hospital) |
| Southampton General HospitalNHS · University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more171 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 4.68%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) | Good (CQC report for Southampton General Hospital) |
| St Peter's HospitalNHS · Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149118 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 8.31%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.1% to 13.8%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.2 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for St Peter's Hospital) |
| St Richard's HospitalNHS · University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation TrustOnly 1% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | Not published (small numbers) | Not published (small numbers)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 St Richard's Hospital) |
| Stoke Mandeville HospitalNHS · Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS TrustOnly 22% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | Fewer than 7532 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 6.62%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: up to 20.7% (no lower limit published)More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | Somewhat worse than expectedInpatients rated their overall experience 7.8 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Stoke Mandeville Hospital) |
| The Tunbridge Wells Hospital at PemburyNHS · Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | 150 or more200 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 8.36%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 4.3% to 12.3%More measures
| Not applicable (emergency care) | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.1 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for The Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury) |
| Wexham Park HospitalNHS · Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust | 100 to 149132 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 11.61%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.3% to 13.5%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) | Outstanding (CQC report for Wexham Park Hospital) |
| William Harvey HospitalNHS · East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | 150 or more162 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 4.64%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 3.8% to 12.9%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 William Harvey Hospital) |
| Worthing HospitalNHS · University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation TrustOnly 51% of the hospital's eligible emergency laparotomies were entered in the audit (case ascertainment), so these figures may not represent all patients. | 75 to 9977 emergency laparotomies in NELA year 11 (December 2023 to November 2024) | 8.48%Within the 95% funnel limits95% limits for a hospital of this size: 1.8% to 15.4%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 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 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.