Landmark NHS League Tables Launched to Drive Up Standards and Improve Patient Care
Patients across England will benefit from higher-quality care and greater value from record investment in the NHS, following the launch of a pioneering new system of NHS league tables. The groundbreaking reform will rank every NHS trust quarterly against clear, consistent standards—from urgent and emergency care to elective operations and mental health services—ushering in a new era of transparency, accountability, and improved outcomes.
The publication of NHS league tables marks a major milestone in the government’s Plan for Change, aimed at ensuring every pound of NHS funding delivers meaningful results for patients. By highlighting variation in performance, the tables will make it easier to identify where urgent support is needed and where high-performing trusts can share best practices, helping to end the postcode lottery in healthcare.
Rewarding Excellence, Supporting Improvement
Top-performing NHS trusts will be rewarded with greater autonomy and the ability to reinvest surplus budgets into frontline improvements, such as new diagnostic equipment, upgraded hospital facilities, and enhanced patient services. From next year, a new wave of Foundation Trusts will give the highest-performing organizations even more freedom to tailor services to local needs, a key pillar of the government’s 10-Year Health Plan.
Conversely, underperforming trusts will receive targeted support to drive improvement, with senior leaders held accountable through performance-linked pay. Exceptional NHS leaders will be incentivized to take on the toughest challenges, helping transform struggling services and deliver better outcomes for patients across England.
Patient Voice at the Heart of Rankings
Patient feedback will play a central role in determining trust rankings, giving the public a stronger voice in shaping their care. By scoring trusts into four performance segments—from the best-performing to the most challenged—the league tables provide fair and meaningful comparisons across acute, non-acute, and ambulance services. Middle-ranking trusts will be encouraged to learn from top performers, fostering continuous improvement across the NHS.
Driving Transparency and Accountability
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
“Patients and taxpayers need to know how their local NHS services are performing. These league tables will shine a light on areas that need urgent support while enabling high-performing trusts to share their best practices. By combining the record £26 billion annual investment with these reforms, we are cutting waiting times and improving care for every patient.”
Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, added:
“Our NHS staff work tirelessly to provide outstanding care, but too much variation in performance remains. By giving patients access to data, these league tables empower them to demand higher standards and help NHS leaders drive improvement faster.”
Next Steps and Wider Reform
By summer 2026, league tables will expand to cover Integrated Care Boards and additional areas of NHS performance. This initiative builds on ongoing reforms, including cutting waiting lists by over 250,000 since July 2024, delivering nearly five million extra appointments, and recruiting 2,000 additional GPs to improve patient access.
The NHS league tables are a cornerstone of a more transparent, accountable, and patient-focused NHS, ensuring that investment translates into tangible benefits for patients and taxpayers alike.
