Chelsea and Westminster named in top 10 hospitals for low mortality rates

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was named in the top ten hospitals in England with lower-than-expected deaths, according to new statistics published by the NHS Information Centre yesterday.

The Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI)—the first official hospital-wide mortality rating—shows that Chelsea and Westminster has the seventh lowest ratio of actual deaths to expected deaths out of almost 150 non-specialist acute hospitals in England.

Chief Executive Heather Lawrence said: “While the SHMI should be looked at in conjunction with other indicators, I am delighted that we have earned this independent recognition of the safety of our services.

“We welcome the new indicators because they provide hospitals with a national benchmark against which they can measure their performance.

“It’s also important that patients are provided with a range of information which they can use to assess how their local hospital is performing.

“Being more open and transparent is a priority for Chelsea and Westminster and this new indicator will help our patients develop an informed and balanced picture about how we are performing.”

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is also ranked as one of only two NHS hospitals nationally with a significantly lower than expected mortality rate after surgery by the Dr Foster Hospital Guide.