NHS league tables: how do trusts in Cornwall, Devon and Plymouth compare?
Written by Rebecca Brisley | Medical Negligence team | 15 September 2025
For the first time, NHS league tables have been published showing how every trust in England is performing. The new rankings reveal how local hospitals, mental health trusts and ambulance services are coping with waiting times, A&E pressures, cancer care, ambulance response times and finances.
For people in the South West, the results are mixed. Cornwall’s hospitals are among the best performing in the region, particularly when it comes to waiting times. Torbay and Royal Devon sit in the middle of the table. Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital is further down the list, with waiting times just below the national average. Mental health services across Cornwall and Devon are struggling more, while the South Western Ambulance Service sits in the top ten nationally.
These figures matter for every patient, but they are especially significant for those who have suffered from medical negligence or poor treatment. Knowing where a hospital stands compared with others can help put personal experiences into context. If a trust is consistently struggling on measures such as waiting times or A&E care, it can highlight wider pressures that may have contributed to mistakes. Equally, strong performance data can reassure patients that improvements are being made.
In short, the league tables show that patients in Cornwall are generally being seen more quickly than the national average, while those in Plymouth and Royal Devon face longer waits. The tables will be updated every three months, giving people a chance to track whether local services are improving.
The national picture
Specialist hospitals dominate the top of the table, with Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust ranked first. At the other end, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn is at the bottom, struggling with building issues and performance challenges.
But what about here in the South West?
How local acute trusts performed
Cornwall Partnership is the strongest performer in our region, ranked 18th nationally with a score of 2.13.
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is in the middle, placed 54th with a score of 2.24.
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust comes next at 71st (score 2.41).
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which runs Derriford Hospital, is further down at 109th with a score of 2.67.
Waiting times for treatment
One of the biggest measures patients notice is how long they wait to begin treatment. The NHS target is for 92% of patients to start treatment within 18 weeks. No local trust is currently meeting this target.
Cornwall: 71.8% (well above the England average of 61.5%)
Torbay: 68.2%
Royal Devon: 60.6%
Plymouth: 61.3%
Cornwall stands out here, with more patients starting treatment within the 18-week window. Plymouth and Royal Devon, however, are hovering right around the national average.
Non-acute and ambulance services
It is not just hospitals being rated. Mental health and community services are also included, as well as ambulance trusts.
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is ranked 49th with a score of 2.77.
Devon Partnership NHS Trust is lower down at 60th, with a score of 3.14.
For ambulances, South Western Ambulance Service sits 9th out of 10 nationally, with a score of 2.91.
What does this all mean?
For patients, these tables bring mixed news. Cornwall’s trusts are generally performing above average, particularly when it comes to waiting times. Plymouth and Royal Devon face greater challenges, especially in hitting national standards.
For anyone who has experienced medical negligence, these figures provide useful context. A single incident can never be excused by poor performance figures, but they can help to show whether there are systemic issues within a trust that may be contributing to mistakes. Patients considering a claim, or those wanting reassurance about improvements, may find the rankings useful for understanding where their trust stands.
It is also important to note that finances are factored into the scores. This means a trust providing good care can still rank lower if it is running a deficit. Critics have warned that this could skew results, encouraging hospitals to focus on the numbers rather than what matters most to patients.
A step towards transparency
While no ranking system is perfect, these new league tables offer patients a clearer picture of how their local NHS services are performing compared to others. They also set a benchmark for trusts to improve.
The key takeaway? If you live in Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth or Torbay, your trust now has a public scorecard. With updates planned every three months, we will see whether local services can climb the table in the months ahead.
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.
