Nottingham hospitals order urgent review after hip-fracture death rate runs almost 50% above average

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust has ordered an independent external review into death rates among hip and leg fracture patients, after data obtained by The Sunday Times put its hip-fracture mortality rate almost 50 per cent higher than the national average for hospitals in England.

The trust’s adjusted 30-day mortality rate for hip fracture patients has risen for several years, reaching 7.62 per cent by the first quarter of 2026, compared with a national average of 4.9 per cent, according to the investigation reported by The Sun.

National guidance requires hip fracture patients to reach theatre within 36 hours of admission, because delays are known to increase the risk of death. The trust is failing to meet that target for half of its hip fracture patients, the investigation found, with delays peaking at 55 per cent in May and 53 per cent in June.

A study by Nottingham surgeons, published in August in The Bone & Joint Journal, assessed 5,414 patients treated between 2016 and 2023 and found 1,490 had their surgery delayed by more than 36 hours. After adjusting for factors that could skew the results, that group had a 20 per cent increased risk of death within a year. The authors wrote that delayed surgery beyond 36 hours, due to lack of surgical capacity, was independently associated with increased mortality.

Responding to the investigation, the trust’s medical director, Dr Manjeet Shehmar, told The Sunday Times: “Patient safety is our highest priority, and having received the recent mortality alert, we promptly commissioned an independent external review to identify any further action needed to improve care for patients.”

Shehmar said the trust had invested in additional theatre capacity, increased staffing and strengthened training, and that surgical waiting times for patients with fractured neck of femur are now falling, “but we recognise there is more to do”. The trust is one of the largest providers of hip fracture care in the UK, treating more than 850 patients a year.

Sources

• The Sunday Times, via The Sun: “Urgent investigation launched after surge in fracture deaths at scandal-hit NHS hospitals”, 26 October 2026 — https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/40811143/nhs-probe-fracture-patient-deaths/
• The Sunday Times: “Hospitals in A&E crisis investigate hip fracture death rate” — https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/nottingham-hospital-inquiry-high-death-rates-hip-fractures-66flrlcvz