A caesarean section is an operation to deliver a baby through a cut in the tummy and womb. It may be planned, usually from the 39th week of pregnancy, or done in an emergency if vaginal birth is too risky. Around 45% of babies born in England are delivered by caesarean.
Caesarean rates and other birth outcomes for each hospital are published by the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit, but not yet as a file we can use. This page shows how women rated their maternity care in the Care Quality Commission's maternity survey for each trust. Speak to your midwife about where to give birth.
Hospitals in the South West
15 trusts in the South West with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
Hospital-level numbers for this specific operation are not published as open data. The activity column is context only: it shows the trust's overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R (pregnancy and childbirth) in 2025-26, from Hospital Episode Statistics, in bands. It covers many other procedures as well as this one, it is for the whole trust rather than one hospital, and it does not include private patients. It is not a count of this operation.
| Trust | Trust activity (context)Trust's overall NHS-funded activity, OPCS-4 chapter R (pregnancy and childbirth), 2025-26 (HES). Context only | Key outcomeNo hospital-level outcome data published | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Bristol Royal Infirmary, Cossham Hospital, Southmead Hospital, Weston General Hospital | 4,000 to 4,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 64 questions: 60 about the same as other trusts, 2 somewhat better than expected, 2 better than expected (whole trust) | Bristol Royal Infirmary: Requires improvement (CQC report for Bristol Royal Infirmary) Weston General Hospital: Insufficient evidence to rate (CQC report for Weston General Hospital) |
| Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Falmouth Hospital, Isles of Scilly Hospital, St Barnabas Hospital, Stratton Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No hospital-level outcome data published | Not published for this specialty | Not published | No rating |
| Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Dorset County Hospital, Royal Bournemouth Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 7 somewhat better than expected, 44 about the same as other trusts, 15 better than expected, 2 much better than expected (whole trust) | Dorset County Hospital: Good (CQC report for Dorset County Hospital) Royal Bournemouth Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Royal Bournemouth Hospital) |
| Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Victoria Hospital, Wimborne | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No hospital-level outcome data published | Not published for this specialty | Not published | No rating |
| Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: North Cotswolds Hospital, Vale Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No hospital-level outcome data published | Not published for this specialty | Not published | No rating |
| Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Cheltenham General Hospital, Cirencester Hospital, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Stroud General Hospital, Stroud Maternity Hospital, Tetbury Hospital, Tewkesbury Hospital | 5,000 or moreTrust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 45 about the same as other trusts, 12 better than expected, 10 somewhat better than expected, 1 much better than expected (whole trust) | Cheltenham General Hospital: Good (CQC report for Cheltenham General Hospital) Gloucestershire Royal Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Gloucestershire Royal Hospital) Stroud Maternity Hospital: Good (CQC report for Stroud Maternity Hospital) |
| Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Great Western Hospital | 3,000 to 3,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 63 about the same as other trusts, 1 somewhat worse than expected, 1 somewhat better than expected, 1 worse than expected (whole trust) | Good (CQC report for Great Western Hospital) |
| Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Royal Cornwall Hospital, St Michael’s Hospital, West Cornwall Hospital | 3,000 to 3,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 5 somewhat better than expected, 56 about the same as other trusts, 5 better than expected, 2 somewhat worse than expected (whole trust) | Royal Cornwall Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Royal Cornwall Hospital) St Michael's Hospital: Good (CQC report for St Michael's Hospital) West Cornwall Hospital: Good (CQC report for West Cornwall Hospital) |
| Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Axminster Hospital, Crediton Hospital, Exmouth Hospital, Honiton Hospital, Mardon Neuro-rehabilitation Centre, Nightingale Hospital Exeter, North Devon District Hospital, Ottery St Mary Hospital, Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Wonford, Tiverton District Hospital, Victoria Hospital Sidmouth | 4,000 to 4,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 7 somewhat better than expected, 10 better than expected, 48 about the same as other trusts, 1 somewhat worse than expected, 1 much better than expected, 1 worse than expected (whole trust) | Honiton Hospital: Good (CQC report for Honiton Hospital) Mardon Neuro-rehabilitation Centre: Good (CQC report for Mardon Neuro-rehabilitation Centre) Nightingale Hospital Exeter: Good (CQC report for Nightingale Hospital Exeter) North Devon District Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for North Devon District Hospital) Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Wonford: Requires improvement (CQC report for Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, Wonford) Tiverton District Hospital: Good (CQC report for Tiverton District Hospital) |
| Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Royal United Hospital Bath | 4,000 to 4,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 14 better than expected, 36 about the same as other trusts, 10 somewhat better than expected, 8 much better than expected (whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Royal United Hospital Bath) |
| Salisbury NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Salisbury District Hospital | Fewer than 3,000Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 58 about the same as other trusts, 3 better than expected, 3 somewhat better than expected, 2 much better than expected (whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Salisbury District Hospital) |
| Somerset NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Musgrove Park Hospital, Nuffield Health Taunton Hospital, Yeovil District Hospital | 3,000 to 3,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 68 questions: 58 about the same as other trusts, 4 better than expected, 6 somewhat better than expected (whole trust) | Musgrove Park Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Musgrove Park Hospital) Nuffield Health Taunton Hospital: Good (CQC report for Nuffield Health Taunton Hospital) Yeovil District Hospital: No Approved Rating (CQC report for Yeovil District Hospital) |
| Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Hospital, Brixham Hospital, Dawlish Hospital, Newton Abbot Hospital, Paignton Hospital, Teignmouth Hospital, Torbay Hospital, Totnes Hospital | Not published | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 38 about the same as other trusts, 13 somewhat better than expected, 14 better than expected, 1 worse than expected (whole trust) | Requires improvement (CQC report for Torbay Hospital) |
| University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Christchurch Hospital, Poole Hospital | 3,000 to 3,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 57 about the same as other trusts, 1 somewhat better than expected, 3 somewhat worse than expected, 3 better than expected, 1 worse than expected, 1 much better than expected (whole trust) | Christchurch Hospital: Good (CQC report for Christchurch Hospital) Poole Hospital: No Approved Rating (CQC report for Poole Hospital) |
| University Hospitals Plymouth NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Derriford Hospital, Mount Gould Hospital, Tavistock Hospital | 3,000 to 3,999Trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in OPCS-4 chapter R, 2025-26. Context only, not a count of this operation. | No outcome data published for this operationMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | CQC Maternity Survey 2025, 66 questions: 58 about the same as other trusts, 3 better than expected, 2 worse than expected, 3 somewhat better than expected (whole trust) | Derriford Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Derriford Hospital) Mount Gould Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Mount Gould Hospital) |
Across England
In 2025-26, NHS-funded care in England (NHS hospitals and NHS patients treated by independent providers; private patients are not included) recorded 244,968 episodes where the main procedure was planned and other caesarean deliveries (OPCS-4 R17 and R18). 0% were day cases. Half of the people admitted from a waiting list had waited less than about 15 days from the decision to admit them. These are national figures from Hospital Episode Statistics (NHS England, 2025-26, Open Government Licence v3.0); the same detail is not published for each 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.
- Trust activity (Hospital Episode Statistics). The bands show the trust’s overall NHS-funded activity in a whole chapter of the procedure classification (OPCS-4), for context. They are not a count of this operation, they are for the whole trust rather than one hospital, they exclude private patients, and we show bands only, not exact counts. Cut points are the lower quartile, median and upper quartile of all 118 NHS trusts in England with activity in OPCS-4 chapter R in the published table, rounded.
- 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.
- 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
- Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2025-26 (Hospital Episode Statistics), NHS England. Source: Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2025-26, NHS England, part of the Government Statistical Service (published 24 September 2026). Copyright © 2026, NHS England. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. NHS-funded activity only. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times, NHS England. Source: NHS England, Referral to Treatment waiting times. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01), NHS England. Source: NHS England, Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity (DM01). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Open Government Licence v3.0
- CQC Maternity Survey 2025 (trust benchmark results), Care Quality Commission. Source: Care Quality Commission, NHS Patient Survey Programme, Maternity 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.
- Caesarean section (NHS website)
- Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2025-26 (NHS England)
- Adult inpatient survey (Care Quality Commission)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us.