NHS Never Events
Never events are serious incidents that are regarded as wholly preventable because national safeguards exist, such as wrong site surgery and retained foreign objects. NHS England publishes provisional counts by provider, updated monthly. The framework has been under review since a February 2024 consultation.
403 never events (apr 2025 to mar 2026 (provisional))140 providers reporting
Coverage: Official source scope
Newest content date: 1 Apr 2025. This describes the content held here, not the date this page was opened.
How this source is collected and updated
- Collection method
- Web
- Observed update
- No update since 11 Jun 2026
- Last record written
- 11 Jun 2026
Records written on 0 of the last 90 days; last write 11 Jun 2026.
Publisher's stated schedule: Monthly. That is the publisher's own description, not a measurement of this copy.
Most common never event categories (Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 (provisional))
Read the chart values
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Wrong site surgery | 166 |
| Retained foreign object post procedure | 121 |
| Wrong implant/prosthesis | 50 |
| Wrong side/site procedure | 40 |
| Wrong site block | 38 |
| Vaginal swab | 32 |
| Injection to wrong side/site | 30 |
| Guide wire/part of guide wire | 26 |
| Wrong skin lesion removed/biopsy | 22 |
| Surgical instrument/part of surgical instrument | 22 |
The chart shows the national count by category for the selected period.
Records
Compare the labelled columns below. On a narrow screen, scroll the table horizontally to see every measure.
| Name | Details | Events | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | 12 | Source ↗ | |
| University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | 10 | Source ↗ | |
| Barts Health NHS Trust | 9 | Source ↗ | |
| Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust | 9 | Source ↗ | |
| East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | 8 | Source ↗ | |
| Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | 8 | Source ↗ | |
| Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust | 8 | Source ↗ | |
| Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 8 | Source ↗ | |
| The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 8 | Source ↗ | |
| Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 7 | Source ↗ | |
| University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust | 7 | Source ↗ | |
| Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | Source ↗ | |
| Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | 5 | Source ↗ | |
| Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Somerset NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 4 | Source ↗ | |
| Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Isle of Wight NHS Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | 3 | Source ↗ | |
| Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | 3 | Source ↗ |