Quarter 1 2026/27 (April to June 2026)
- patients not included in submissions when the data collection methodology says to include them, such as maternity patients, day cases, and admissions with length of stay below certain thresholds
- independent providers including patients who are not NHS‑funded
- patients cohorted in line with NICE guidelines but not included in the submission
- submissions based on incomplete, sample, or audit data
We are continuing to work with providers to improve data quality, prioritising those providers reporting the largest discrepancies, and we expect to identify further data quality issues as this work continues. More detail in relation to specific data quality issues identified is available in the ‘Data quality’ section of this report. The latest published quarter provides the most accurate and current position. Every six months the most recent two quarters are revised, ensuring they are updated to reflect the most recent and complete data.
1 Background
Healthcare associated venous thromboembolism (VTE), commonly known as blood clots, is a significant international patient safety issue. The first step in preventing death and disability from VTE is to identify those at risk so that preventative treatments (prophylaxis) can be given. This data collection quantifies the numbers of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) who are being risk assessed for VTE to identify those who should be given appropriate prophylaxis based on guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Such measures have the potential to save many lives each year.
This data collection is intended to embed VTE risk assessment across the NHS and will be critical in evaluating the impact of the National VTE Prevention Programme on improving health outcomes for patients. The VTE risk assessment is a former national CQUIN indicator and is a National Quality Requirement in the NHS Standard Contract. It sets an operational standard of 95% of patients aged 16 and over being risk assessed for VTE on admission each month. Prior to April 2019 the operational standard related to adult patients aged 18 and over.
The data collection asks for the following information:
- number of admitted patients (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) in the month who have been risk assessed for VTE within 14 hours of admission to hospital using the criteria in the NICE guidance.
- total number of admitted patients (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) in the month.
The percentage of admitted patients (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) in the month who have been risk assessed for VTE on admission is automatically calculated from items (1) and (2).
All providers of NHS-funded acute care (that is, NHS trusts and foundation trusts and independent sector providers of acute NHS services) must complete this data collection. Providers of non-acute health services only are not asked to complete this data collection, although they should be aware that all patients should be protected from unnecessary risk of VTE.
For the purposes of this collection, risk assessment should be completed on admitted patients within 14 hours of admission; NICE guidelines state that where required, pharmacological thromboprophylaxis should be started within 14 hours of admission, therefore risk assessment should be completed prior to this, unless otherwise stated in the population-specific recommendations.
This data collection is a census of all patients – it is not appropriate to use sampling methodologies to produce estimates.
2 Response rate
Table 1 below summarises the number and proportion of valid submissions from NHS acute care providers. Invalid submissions are excluded from the data and are detailed in the data quality section. The increase in invalid submissions observed in recent quarters reflects the ongoing work to identify and address data quality issues with provider submissions. For the full details of organisations excluded or not submitting for this quarter, please refer to the data quality section. Children’s hospitals listed in the data quality section are excluded from the count of NHS acute care providers. The number of NHS acute care providers may vary between reporting quarters due to organisational changes.
Table 1: Number of NHS acute care providers, valid submissions, invalid submissions, non-submissions and response rate by reporting quarter
| Reporting quarter | NHS acute care providers | Valid submissions | Invalid submissions | Non-submissions | Response rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 Q1 | 132 | 125 | 3 | 4 | 95% |
| 2024/25 Q2 | 132 | 124 | 3 | 5 | 94% |
| 2024/25 Q3 | 132 | 125 | 3 | 4 | 95% |
| 2024/25 Q4 | 131 | 124 | 4 | 3 | 95% |
| 2025/26 Q1 | 131 | 121 | 8 | 2 | 92% |
| 2025/26 Q2 | 131 | 122 | 7 | 2 | 93% |
| 2025/26 Q3 | 131 | 116 | 13 | 2 | 89% |
| 2025/26 Q4 | 131 | 118 | 12 | 1 | 90% |
| 2026/27 Q1 | 131 | 115 | 11 | 5 | 88% |
3 Download data
Note the date of each month of collection is given as the first of the month in the CSV file.
4 Summary of the data collection
The key results for the data collected on the number and percentage of VTE risk assessments on admitted patients aged 16 and over to NHS-funded acute care (NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts and independent sector providers) in quarter 1 (Q1) 2026/27 (April to June 2026) are:
- the percentage of admitted patients risk assessed for VTE in England was 93%. Of the 3.8 million admitted patients for whom data was reported in this collection, 3.5 million were risk assessed for VTE on admission.
- the percentage of admitted patients risk assessed for VTE was 93% for NHS acute care providers and 95% for independent sector providers. NHS acute care providers carry out 97% of all VTE risk assessments.
- the percentage of admitted patients risk assessed for VTE for each region was: East of England 95%, London 93%, Midlands 91%, North East and Yorkshire 95%, North West 92%, South East 94% and South West 89%.
- 31% of integrated care boards (ICBs) (11 of the 36 ICBs) carried out a VTE risk assessment for 95% or more of their admissions (the NHS Standard Contract operational standard).
5 Findings
5.1 Percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE in England
In Q1 2026/27 all providers of NHS-funded acute care (NHS trusts, foundation trusts and independent sector providers) reported 3.8 million eligible admissions. Of these, 3.5 million (93%) received a VTE risk assessment on admission. Comparison to previous collection figures can be seen in Figure 2.
Figure 1: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by month (Q1 2026/27)
Table 2: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by month (Q1 2026/27)
| April 2026 | May 2026 | June 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All providers of NHS-funded acute care | 92.9% | 92.8% | 92.5% |
Figure 2: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in previous collections
Table 3: The 5 NHS acute care providers with the highest percentage of admitted patients being risk assessed (Q1 2026/27)
| Code | Provider | Risk assessed for VTE | Total admissions | Percentage risk assessed for VTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RL1 | The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 4,282 | 4,286 | 99.9% |
| RAN | Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust | 1,371 | 1,375 | 99.7% |
| RM1 | Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 50,531 | 50,845 | 99.4% |
| RP6 | Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 9,924 | 10,005 | 99.2% |
| RRJ | The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 3,399 | 3,427 | 99.2% |
5.2 Percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE in England by organisation type
In Q1 2026/27, the percentage of admitted patients (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) receiving a VTE risk assessment was 93% for NHS acute care providers and 95% for independent sector providers. NHS acute care providers carry out 97% of all VTE risk assessments and independent sector providers carry out 3%.
Figure 3: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by organisation type and by month (Q1 2026/27)
Table 4: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by organisation type by month (Q1 2026/27)
| April 2026 | May 2026 | June 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS acute care providers | 92.9% | 92.7% | 92.4% |
| Independent sector providers | 94.2% | 94.9% | 94.6% |
5.3 Percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE in England by region
2 regions (East of England and North East and Yorkshire) achieved the 95% NHS Standard Contract operational standard in Q1 2026/27. 5 regions (London, Midlands, North West, South East and South West) did not meet the operational standard.
Figure 4: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by region (Q1 2026/27)
Table 5: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by region (Q1 2026/27)
| NHS region | All providers |
|---|---|
| East of England | 95.1% |
| London | 92.8% |
| Midlands | 90.8% |
| North East and Yorkshire | 95.3% |
| North West | 91.5% |
| South East | 94.2% |
| South West | 88.9% |
5.4 Percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE in England by region and organisation type
Figure 5: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by region and organisation type (Q1 2026/27)
| NHS region | NHS acute care providers | Independent sector providers |
|---|---|---|
| East of England | 95.2% | 94.3% |
| London | 92.8% | 97.0% |
| Midlands | 90.7% | 95.3% |
| North East and Yorkshire | 95.2% | 97.9% |
| North West | 91.7% | 84.4% |
| South East | 94.1% | 97.4% |
| South West | 88.6% | 94.6% |
5.5 Percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE in England by integrated care board (ICB).
In Q1 2026/27, 31% of ICBs (11 of the 36 ICBs) carried out a VTE risk assessment for 95% or more of their admissions (the NHS Standard Contract operational standard).
Figure 6: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by integrated care board (ICB) (Q1 2026/27).
* denotes where an ICB has met the 95% operational standard.
Table 7: Percentage of hospital admissions (aged 16 and over at the time of admission) risk assessed for VTE in England by integrated care board (ICB) (Q1 2026/27)
| ICB name | Percentage | Operational standard met |
|---|---|---|
| NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent ICB | 98.7% | Yes |
| NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB | 98.3% | Yes |
| NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB | 97.4% | Yes |
| NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB | 96.8% | Yes |
| NHS South Yorkshire ICB | 96.4% | Yes |
| NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB | 96% | Yes |
| NHS Northamptonshire ICB | 95.8% | Yes |
| NHS Kent and Medway ICB | 95.7% | Yes |
| NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB | 95.6% | Yes |
| NHS Thames Valley ICB | 95.4% | Yes |
| NHS Essex ICB | 95.2% | Yes |
| NHS South East London ICB | 95% | No |
| NHS West Yorkshire ICB | 94.4% | No |
| NHS West and North London ICB | 94.4% | No |
| NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB | 93.7% | No |
| NHS Dorset ICB | 93.6% | No |
| NHS Central East ICB | 93.6% | No |
| NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | 93.6% | No |
| NHS Surrey and Sussex ICB | 93.4% | No |
| NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB | 93.1% | No |
| NHS Hampshire and Isle Of Wight ICB | 92.9% | No |
| NHS Black Country ICB | 92.6% | No |
| NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB | 92.3% | No |
| NHS Greater Manchester ICB | 91.7% | No |
| NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB | 90.5% | No |
| NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB | 89.4% | No |
| NHS Lincolnshire ICB | 88.1% | No |
| NHS Gloucestershire ICB | 87.9% | No |
| NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB | 87.8% | No |
| NHS South West London ICB | 86.5% | No |
| NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB | 86.4% | No |
| NHS Devon ICB | 85.9% | No |
| NHS North East London ICB | 84.4% | No |
| NHS Somerset ICB | 84.1% | No |
| NHS Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly ICB | 79.4% | No |
| NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | 77.4% | No |
5.6 Percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE in England by total admissions
Figure 7 is a funnel plot of the total admissions for each provider in the quarter against the percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE. The funnel plot limits have been adjusted for overdispersion. Providers that fall below the 99.8% overdispersed lower limit have been labelled in figure 7 and listed in table 8.
Figure 7: Percentage of total admissions risk assessed for VTE in England by total admissions for provider in quarter (Q1 2026/27).
Table 8: The providers that fall below the 99.8% overdispersed lower limit in quarter (Q1 2026/27)
| Code | Provider | Operated by | Risk assessed for VTE | Total admissions | Percentage risk assessed for VTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NT403 | Beardwood Hospital | Circle Health Group Limited | 0 | 1,343 | 0.0% |
| NT490 | Southend Private Hospital | Circle Health Group Limited | 0 | 511 | 0.0% |
| NVC0Y | Exeter Medical | Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Limited | 31 | 183 | 16.9% |
| RQ3 | Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | – | 1,681 | 3,251 | 51.7% |
| RRF | Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | – | 10,637 | 20,237 | 52.6% |
| REP | Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust | – | 2,549 | 4,205 | 60.6% |
| NT437 | Sloane Hospital | Circle Health Group Limited | 305 | 476 | 64.1% |
| RKB | University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust | – | 26,906 | 39,151 | 68.7% |
| NT446 | St Edmunds Hospital | Circle Health Group Limited | 213 | 299 | 71.2% |
| NVC40 | Woodthorpe Hospital | Ramsay Health Care UK Operations Limited | 1,527 | 2,026 | 75.4% |
| RK9 | University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | – | 23,054 | 30,006 | 76.8% |
5.7 Number of valid data returns
- the total number of valid data returns submitted by all providers of NHS-funded acute care in each month of Quarter 1 2026/27 (April to June 2026) was 279.
- the number of valid NHS acute care providers submitting a data return in each month of Quarter 1 2026/27 (April to June 2026) was 115.
- for independent sector providers, it was 164 in each month of Quarter 1 2026/27 (April to June 2026).
6 Data quality
6.1 General
- The data collection is mandatory and risk assessments should be completed on admitted patients within 14 hours of admission. It is a requirement to report on admitted patients aged 16 and over and providers are required to submit information based on a census of patients. The following are excluded from the data:
- providers that submit data with risk assessments completed after 14 hours of admission.
- providers that use different age criteria.
- providers that submit data based on a sample or audit of patients.
- providers that did not have any admissions in a particular month.
- children’s hospitals: Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (RBS), Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (RP4) and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (RCU).
6.2 Sample, audit or partially submitted data
The following providers that submit data based on sample or audit of patients are not included in the figures:
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (RTX) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 84%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have agreed a new cohort approach.
- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RD1) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 62%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have agreed a new cohort approach.
- East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust (RWH) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients and for some areas the risk assessment process is currently paper based. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 79%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have implemented an electronic system later this year.
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust (RNZ) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 37%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have implemented a new EPR in 2027.
- Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust (RNS) are currently reporting on a proportion of patient. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 59%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have fully implemented their ePMA reporting system.
- University Hospitals of North Midlands (RJE) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 83%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have fully implemented their ePMA reporting system.
- York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RCB) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 18%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have finalised their transition to their new EPR.
- Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust (RAX) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. This submission did not include Maternity admissions. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 97%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted.
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJR) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 86%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have agreed a new cohort approach.
- North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (RGN) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 97%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have agreed a new cohort approach.
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (RXP) are currently reporting on a proportion of patients. The percentage of admitted patients risk-assessed for VTE for this data was 90%. The provider is working towards providing data for all patients admitted.
6.3 Zero admissions
The following providers submitted zero admissions for each month in the submitting period:
- Edgbaston Hospital (NT445).
6.4 No submissions received
The following providers did not submit data for this publication:
- Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RK5) are working towards providing Q1 2026/27 data during the resubmission window. The provider is updating their reporting process and systems to align with the guidance.
- Barts Health NHS Trust (R1H) are working towards providing Q1 2026/27 data during the resubmission window. The provider is updating their reporting process to align with the guidance.
- Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RNQ) are working towards providing Q1 2026/27 data during the resubmission window. The provider is unable to submit this quarter.
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (RNN) are working towards providing data for all patients admitted once they have implemented a new EPR.
- North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (RWW) identified a data quality issue after submitting their Q1 2026/27 data and subsequently withdrew this submission. The provider is working to resolve the issue and plans to resubmit Q1 2026/27 data during the resubmission window.
6.5 Quality assurance
Data quality assurance focuses on identifying missing data, data errors (for example the numerator should not be greater than the denominator) and data consistency over time. Any issues identified are discussed with providers and they are given the opportunity to clarify or resubmit their data within the quality assurance period.
7 Timings and publication
Providers must collect data and submit it to the Strategic Data Collection Service run by NHS England. The deadline is the last working day of the month following the quarter end.
Data are submitted and published according to the timings below:
| Timing | Process |
|---|---|
| Month A (for example June) | Data are collected from patients in each provider for the quarter |
| Month B (for example July) | Providers submit their data quarterly for the previous quarter with a deadline of the last working day of the month following the end of that quarter (for example Q1 data is submitted towards the end of July) |
| Month C (for example August) | Data is quality assured |
| Month D (for example September) | Data for the quarter is published on the NHS England website at the beginning of month D (for example Q1 data in early September) |
8 Guidance
Guidance on the data collection is given in the NHS Standard Contract and can be found at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs-standard-contract/
9 Additional information
Please email press enquiries to NHS England Press Office at: nhsengland.media@nhs.net or call 0113 825 0958.
Your feedback is welcomed on the format, frequency and utility of this document, so that we can provide reports that are of most benefit, Please contact patientsafety.analysis@nhs.net with any suggestions.
The analysts with overall responsibility for this report are:
Joshua Mutio
Lead Analyst
Patient Safety, Medical Directorate Programmes
Data & Analytics
NHS England
David Hardy
Senior Analyst
Patient Safety, Medical Directorate Programmes
Data & Analytics
NHS England