A carotid endarterectomy is an operation to remove fatty deposits from one of the carotid arteries in the neck, which carry blood to the brain. Narrowed carotid arteries increase the chance of a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), and the operation helps to prevent stroke.
The operation usually takes 1 to 2 hours, and you may stay in hospital for a few days. It is often done soon after a TIA or minor stroke. The National Vascular Registry publishes each trust's rate of stroke or death after the operation, adjusted for differences between patients.
Hospitals in the South West
7 trusts in the South West with published figures. Sorted by name. This is not a ranking: read how to read this first.
| Trust | Volume bandCarotid endarterectomies in 2024 (NVR) | Key outcomeStroke or death within 30 days (adjusted) | Waiting timeWhole trust | Patient experience | CQC 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 | 40 to 4944 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 0.8%National: 1.8%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.5 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, 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) |
| North Bristol NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Southmead HospitalPublished for North Bristol NHS Trust, which ran Southmead Hospital until the trust closed in June 2026. Southmead is now part of another trust, so its later figures will be published under that trust. | 50 or more66 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 3.4%National: 1.8%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) | No rating |
| Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Royal Cornwall Hospital, St Michael’s Hospital, West Cornwall Hospital | 50 or more52 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 2.0%National: 1.8%No banding publishedMore measures
| Not published for this specialty | About the same as other trustsInpatients rated their overall experience 8.1 out of 10 (CQC Adult Inpatient Survey 2025, 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 | Fewer than 3026 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 2.4%National: 1.8%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) | 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) |
| Somerset NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Musgrove Park Hospital, Nuffield Health Taunton Hospital, Yeovil District Hospital | 40 to 4944 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 2.1%National: 1.8%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) | 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) |
| University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation TrustWhole trust. Hospitals: Christchurch Hospital, Poole HospitalCase ascertainment published as 70%-84%: not every operation was entered in the registry. | Fewer than 3029 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 1.1%National: 1.8%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) | 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 | Fewer than 3027 carotid endarterectomies in 2024 | 1.0%National: 1.8%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) | Derriford Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Derriford Hospital) Mount Gould Hospital: Requires improvement (CQC report for Mount Gould 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 66 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.
- What is a carotid endarterectomy? (NHS website)
- Carotid endarterectomy: why it's done (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.