Reducing waiting times and improving care
Thanks to the hard work of our people and teams, at the end of last year we were the 13th best performing NHS trust in England for referral to treatment times. Their commitment is helping us to deliver real improvements in patient care. In one five month period last year we increased the proportion of people treated within 18 weeks, from 63.3% to 70.34% – well above the national average of 61.8%.
We’re always looking at ways to improve what we do to ensure you, your loved ones and the people in our communities have a good experience of care when you need us, and we couldn’t be prouder of this achievement.
Our hard work was also recognised by NHS England’s Chief Executive, Sir Jim Mackey, in his end of year message, which you can read in the December edition of The Month.
Thank you for continuing to support us, your local NHS, as we aim for reaching the top 10!
How was your maternity care? 2026 Maternity Survey
We believe in providing the highest quality maternity care for you and your baby, and in April you can share your experiences of using our maternity services in a national survey.
If your baby was born in January or February 2026, you may be invited to share your thoughts on the quality of care and support you received during your pregnancy, labour and birth, and after you and your baby went home with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
If you are invited to take part, you will receive a letter containing details about how to complete the survey. You will also receive information on how to complete the survey in a different language, or a different format (e.g. Braille, easy read, large print).
Taking part will not affect your care in any way. The survey is confidential, and your responses will not be shared with our staff.
The results will be published in Autumn 2026 and we’ll use them to improve what we do so we can continue providing the very best care for you and your baby and support our community. If you’re contacted, please do take part to help make a difference to NHS maternity care. For more information about the survey, please visit the Care Quality Commission’s, Tell us what maternity care is like for you in 2026 page.