Rotherham Hospital takes action over abdominal surgery death rate
Rotherham Hospital has implemented operational changes after data revealed a higher-than-average mortality rate for emergency abdominal surgeries in 2024/25. Recent figures suggest that these interventions have successfully improved patient outcomes.
Why it matters
Transparency in hospital mortality data is essential for patient safety and the continuous improvement of clinical care standards within the NHS.
Image caption, Patients requiring an emergency laparotomy may pass through several hospital teams
Rotherham Hospital has introduced changes after the death rate among patients undergoing major abdominal surgery was found to be higher than the national average.
Mortality following emergency laparotomies was 168% higher than the national average in 2024/25, according to hospital board papers.
Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said 104 patients were included in the national audit covering April 2024 to March 2025. Of those patients, 14 died, equivalent to about one in seven.
The trust said it had made efforts to diagnose patients earlier and upgraded the way patient information is passed between teams.
An emergency laparotomy is a major operation where surgeons open a patient's abdomen to treat a potentially life-threatening problem such as internal bleeding, a blockage, infection or perforated bowel.
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