A major new report has issued a stark warning that Britain is falling behind numerous other nations when it comes to ensuring patient safety within its healthcare system. The comprehensive analysis places significant scrutiny on the performance of the National Health Service and broader UK health outcomes.
Global Rankings Reveal UK's Mid-Table Position
In the second Global State of Patient Safety Report from Imperial College London, the United Kingdom has been ranked 21st out of 38 countries assessed. This places Britain behind several European counterparts including Norway, which topped the table, along with Switzerland, Spain, and Estonia. The Republic of Korea and Ireland also ranked ahead of the UK in the safety assessment.
Notably, the UK's position was still ahead of other major nations such as France in 29th place, Greece in 31st, and the United States in 34th position. The research compared performance across multiple critical measures that directly impact patient wellbeing and survival rates.
Preventable Deaths and Treatment Delays
The report's findings indicate that thousands of deaths occurring within the UK healthcare system could potentially be avoided through safer and more timely treatment interventions. Researchers examined key metrics including deaths from treatable causes such as sepsis and blood clots, alongside maternal mortality and infant deaths linked to complications from premature birth, delivery-related brain damage, and neonatal infections.
Alarmingly, the analysis estimates that if Britain had matched Switzerland's performance in preventing avoidable deaths – the best-performing nation in this category – approximately 22,789 lives could have been saved. This staggering figure translates to around 60 preventable deaths occurring every single day within the UK healthcare system.
Waiting Times and Surgical Complications
The UK's disappointing performance was further compounded by extended waiting periods for more complex medical treatments. The report identified that Britain experiences higher-than-average delays compared with other developed nations, particularly affecting cardiac care and surgical procedures.
Specifically, the UK ranked bottom out of 11 countries for waiting times associated with heart bypass operations. Additionally, Britain came last for rates of deep vein thrombosis following hip or knee replacement surgeries. According to recent figures from the British Heart Foundation, nearly 400,000 people in England alone were waiting for routine cardiac care at the end of September 2025.
Research has consistently demonstrated that prolonged waiting times for treatment significantly increase patients' risks of developing disabilities from conditions like heart failure or experiencing premature death. The report also highlighted concerning findings regarding surgical complications, with the UK recording the highest complication rates for three out of five indicators where data was available.
Maternity and Women's Health Concerns
Women's healthcare received particular scrutiny in the report, with the UK ranking ninth out of ten countries for hysterectomy waiting times. Maternity care also failed to achieve high scores when compared internationally.
The leading cause of neonatal mortality in Britain remains preterm birth, and since 2003, the country has consistently performed worse than the OECD average on this critical measure. Although the neonatal death rate has decreased since 2000, progress has stalled since 2017 while other nations have continued to improve.
The analysis suggests that if the UK had matched Japan's neonatal mortality rate in 2023 – the top-performing OECD country for this indicator – there could have been 1,123 fewer neonatal deaths. Furthermore, Britain ranked last out of ten countries for patients developing sepsis following abdominal or pelvic surgery.
Broader Implications and Expert Commentary
James Titcombe, chief executive of Patient Safety Watch and one of the report's authors, emphasised the human impact behind these statistics. Having lost his own son Joshua due to NHS safety failures in 2008, Mr Titcombe stated: "Behind every statistic in this report is a person who should still be alive and a family whose lives have been permanently changed."
He added: "Preventable failures in care send ripples of suffering through families, communities and the NHS workforce, traumatising staff and undermining trust. It diverts scarce time and resources away from caring for patients and towards dealing with the consequences of avoidable harm."
Lord Darzi, director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London and another report author, identified areas for potential improvement: "This report shows where we can make rapid progress – reducing surgical complications, reducing avoidable deaths and learning systematically from the countries that lead. Better data, stronger governance and patients as partners are the foundations of safer care."
Government Response and Future Directions
The report is scheduled to be launched at the House of Lords by Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former Health Secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt. In response to the findings, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson acknowledged the challenges while outlining government actions.
"This Government inherited an NHS that was failing too many patients and families," the spokesperson stated. "We have taken rapid action to strengthen patient safety – overhauling the Care Quality Commission, rolling out Martha's Rule and Jess's Rule so patients can get a fresh clinical review, and introducing hospital league tables to drive improvement."
The spokesperson further noted: "We have also brought in new maternity safety measures and are establishing a task force so every mother can have confidence in NHS care once again. We know there is much more to do but we are determined to make sure the NHS is the safest in the world."
The comprehensive analysis examined countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a group of 38 predominantly wealthy, developed nations whose health systems and outcomes are frequently compared. Wider data incorporating figures from 205 countries ranked the UK 141st for deaths resulting from adverse events following medical procedures – unintended injuries or complications arising from healthcare management rather than patients' underlying conditions.
