One of East London’s largest healthcare providers has recorded a remarkable turnaround after climbing into the top quarter of national NHS rankings, marking a significant improvement in patient services and operational performance.
Barts Health NHS Trust, which manages major hospitals including The Royal London Hospital, Newham University Hospital, Whipps Cross University Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and Mile End Hospital, has risen dramatically in the latest national performance assessments.
The trust jumped from 74th place to 21st place in the NHS National Oversight Framework rankings during the final quarter of the 2025-26 financial year. The leap moved Barts Health from Segment Three into Segment One, placing it among the highest-performing NHS trusts in England.
The National Oversight Framework was introduced by NHS England to provide a transparent way of measuring how trusts perform across key indicators, including finances, waiting times, emergency care standards, and staff experiences. The rankings also determine which organisations may require additional support and which can be given greater operational freedoms.
Barts Health’s improvement was largely driven by better financial performance and significant reductions in patient waiting times. According to the trust, more than 10,500 people came off its overall waiting list during the final three months of the financial year. The organisation also eliminated routine waits of 65 weeks and reduced the number of patients waiting more than a year for treatment by around 80 per cent.
Performance in urgent and emergency care also improved considerably. The trust’s compliance with the national four-hour A&E standard increased from 71 per cent to 76 per cent between March 2025 and March 2026. As a result, more than 2,000 additional patients received treatment within four hours compared with the previous year
The improvements come despite increasing demand across East London’s healthcare services. Barts Health reported record emergency department attendances, with around 47,000 people visiting its three emergency departments in a single month. The trust’s progress also secured an additional £2 million in capital funding to support future infrastructure upgrades.
Group Chief Executive Shane DeGaris praised staff across the trust for their efforts, saying the results reflected the dedication of hospital teams that continue to treat record numbers of patients every day. He noted that national recognition of the improvements was particularly encouraging given the pressures facing healthcare services.
The latest rankings represent one of the most notable improvements recorded by any NHS trust in England this year. If Barts Health maintains its position in Segment One, it could move closer to achieving advanced foundation trust status, giving the organisation greater flexibility in managing services and future development plans.
