NHS League Tables: A Step Towards Transparency or a Cause for Concern?

By Helen Cornforth

Published November 03, 2025In: Clinical Negligence - Pregnancy and Birth, Clinical Negligence

At a time when patient safety initiatives such as Martha’s Rule and Jess’ Rule are being introduced, and maternity care across 12 hospital trusts is under review as part of a rapid national investigation into maternity and neonatal services, the Government has published new NHS league tables.

The introduction of these tables is being described as a major reform milestone, aimed at raising standards and delivering better value for both patients and taxpayers. Every Trust in England will now be ranked quarterly, with additional support and closer scrutiny for the lowest-ranking Trusts, and greater autonomy for those performing well.

How are the league tables calculated?

A dashboard provides NHS England with a view of how a Trust is performing in key services including urgent and emergency care, elective services, overall financial deficit and many more. Based on these results, NHS England places each Trust into 1 of 4 segments. Segment 1 Trusts are ranked highest, followed by 2, 3 and 4.

Within each segment the Trusts are then ranked by their metric score. Metric categories differ depending on the type of Trust i.e. Acute, non-Acute, Ambulance. Examples of categories include waiting lists, admission times, ambulance response times, and treatment times. The lower the score the better the ranking for a Trust with its segment.

Concern and positioning in the league tables

The 12 Trusts whose maternity and care are being investigated are in the lower ranking 3 and 4 segments in the Acute trust league table.

There are concerns that the methodology for ranking a Trust places too greater emphasis on a Trust’s finances rather than clinical care, may discourage staff from joining Trusts ranked in the lower leagues, and may shift the focus to league table positioning rather than patient safety so compounding problems for those particular Trusts and their patients.

Where can I find the NHS league tables?

The full NHS Oversight Framework league tables, including results for each Trust, are available on the NHS England website here.

Speak to our specialist team

If you or your baby have been affected by poor maternity care at Royal Derby Hospital, Queen’s Hospital Burton, or elsewhere, our specialist solicitors are here to help.