Written by Rebecca Brisley | Medical Negligence team | 11 July 2025

When someone you love goes into hospital, you trust that they’ll be looked after. You hope for kind, skilled care, thoughtful decisions, and the best possible outcome. That’s why the results of a new national report have raised such strong feelings, particularly here in Plymouth.
Published this week, the NHS’s latest mortality figures show that University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust had a 22.2% higher number of patient deaths than expected between February 2024 and January 2025. Out of 118 NHS hospital trusts in England, Plymouth was fourth highest on the list.
These are not just statistics. Each number represents a person. A family. A story. And when figures like these are released, it’s only natural that people want to understand what they mean and whether something went wrong.

What the figures are and how they work

The data comes from the Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI). This is one of the ways the NHS monitors hospital performance, and it compares the number of people who actually died with the number who were expected to die. That expected figure is based on a national formula that takes into account how unwell someone was, their age, and other health conditions.

If a trust’s number of deaths is broadly in line with what would be expected, they are categorised as “as expected.” If it's significantly above or below, it’s classed as “higher than expected” or “lower than expected.”

It’s important to understand that a high SHMI figure doesn’t automatically mean medical negligence occurred. There can be many reasons why mortality is higher than expected. But it does suggest that something needs a closer look. It’s a signal. A reason to investigate further. And when the number is more than 20% higher than expected, that signal becomes hard to ignore.

What this means for Plymouth families

For people in and around Plymouth, will certainly be concerning and may well be deeply upsetting for those whose loved ones were recently treated at Derriford Hospital.

You may be wondering what this figure means in practical terms. Could your loved one’s death have been avoided? Was the care they received good enough? Were any mistakes made that were never explained to you?

These are hard questions to ask. But they’re also important ones. Because understanding what happened can help bring clarity, accountability, and sometimes even peace.

This kind of data is also vital in shaping how hospitals learn and improve. Patterns in high mortality rates can point to areas under pressure, and whether they’re experiencing staff shortages, delays in treatment, overcrowding, communication breakdowns, or other systemic issues.

At University Hospitals Plymouth, the Trust has faced ongoing challenges in areas like emergency care and patient flow. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has previously highlighted issues around access to urgent care and long waiting times. While these don’t automatically lead to poor outcomes, they can significantly increase the risk of something going wrong.

What is medical negligence?

Medical negligence happens when a healthcare professional or organisation fails to provide care that meets the acceptable standard, and that failure causes harm. In the most serious cases, that harm can lead to death.

Negligence isn’t just about errors in surgery or incorrect medication. It can also include missed diagnoses, delays in treatment, or a failure to act when someone’s condition is clearly deteriorating. Sometimes it’s not a single mistake, but a series of smaller failures that add up to a devastating outcome.

When clinical incidents do occur, they can have a real and deep impact on peoples’ lives. Regardless of the level of harm incurred, patients and families have a right to receive a meaningful apology and explanations for what happened as soon as possible. This is called the Duty of Candour. The professional Duty of Candour is a professional responsibility to be open and honest with patients and families when something that goes wrong with their treatment or care, causes (or has the potential to cause), harm or distress. This includes saying sorry and taking action to put things right where possible. It is always the right thing to do but patients and their families should be aware that this is not an admission of liability

If you’ve lost someone, it’s completely understandable to feel unsure whether the care they received was good enough. Even if you were told everything possible was done, you may still feel uneasy or have questions that were never properly answered.

You are entitled to seek clarity. You are entitled to ask for a full explanation. And if something wasn’t right, you are entitled to take action.

How to raise concerns if you’re worried

If you’re concerned about the treatment or death of a loved one at Derriford or another hospital, there are steps you can take. These don’t have to be confrontational. They’re about finding answers and making sure others are protected from similar harm in future.

Here’s where to start:

Request the full medical records. You have a legal right to access your relative’s notes, which can help clarify what treatment they received and when.
Ask for a written explanation. The hospital should respond to any formal complaints or requests for information. Don’t be afraid to ask direct questions.
Seek independent advice. Speaking to a specialist legal team can help you understand whether what happened amounts to negligence. We can look at the records, help interpret them, and advise you on your options.
Consider making a formal complaint or claim. This isn’t just about compensation. It can also be a way to make sure lessons are learned, and other families are spared the same pain.

How we can help

At Nash & Co Solicitors, we work closely with families who have lost someone unexpectedly or who are worried that something went wrong with the care their loved one received.

Our medical negligence team includes experienced solicitors who understand both the legal and human sides of these cases. We know how sensitive and emotional this process can be. We’re not here to pressure you or make bold claims. We’re here to listen, to guide you, and to give you the facts in plain language.

If you have concerns, please get in touch with us for a free, no-obligation conversation. We’ll talk through what happened, explain what we can do, and help you decide what to do next.

Get in touch

When figures like these are published, they can be easy to gloss over as just another headline. But behind every number is a person who didn’t make it home. A family left with grief and questions. A life that mattered.

If you are one of those families, or if something just doesn’t feel right about what happened, we want you to know that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to want answers. And we’re here to help you find them.

Contact us today if you’d like to talk to someone about your concerns. You’ll get to speak to one of our experienced medical negligence lawyers immediately. As we said, there is no charge for the initial chat, and there’s certainly no obligation. We just want to help you dig deeper into what has happened.

If you’d like to speak to the team, you can call 01752 827085 or email medneg@nash.co.uk. We’d be only to happy to help explore any concerns that you have.

You don’t have to go through this on your own.

Patient Risk Rises at Plymouth NHS Hospital as 2024 Mortality Data Emerges