Tessa Quinn
As of 2022, there are 215 NHS trusts across the UK, a number that is subject to change as new trusts are created and existing ones merge. The number of hospitals managed by NHS trusts varies across the UK. For instance, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust manages 10 hospitals, while others manage far fewer. NHS trusts are organisational units within the National Health Services of England and Wales, serving either a geographical area or a specialised function.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of NHS trusts in the UK | 202 as of mid-2025; 215 as of 2022; 217 as of April 2020 |
| Total number of hospitals in the UK | 1148 as of August 2023 |
| Number of NHS hospitals in the UK | 930 as of August 2023; 704 in England as of August 2023 |
| Number of private hospitals in the UK | 218 as of August 2023 |
| Number of hospital beds in the UK | 141,960 as of the most recent count |
| Number of consultant-led beds in the UK | 145,700 as of March 2025 |
| Number of virtual beds in the UK | 12,700 as of April 2025 |
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What You'll Learn
NHS trust mergers and hospital chains
As of 2022, there are 215 NHS trusts across the UK. However, this number is subject to change as new trusts are formed, and existing trusts sometimes merge. For example, the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) was, before 2020, two separate trusts.
Mergers of trusts in the NHS are often instigated by national bodies so that NHS trusts can gain foundation trust status, or failing providers can be rescued from financial difficulties. Since 1997, 99 mergers of trusts have taken place, including horizontal mergers of acute hospitals, mental health trusts, and community health services trusts.
Some examples of NHS trust mergers include:
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was formed by the merger of Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October 2019.
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust was formed by the merger of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust in 2017.
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2023, from the merger of Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust and St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust was established by merger in 2020 and further expanded in April 2023 by merging with Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
- North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust was formed in 2017 when Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust acquired Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust.
While mergers will continue to play a role in the NHS, there is a lack of evidence that they typically lead to more sustainable organisations. There are also unintended consequences and potential drawbacks of mergers, such as disruption of services, diseconomies of scale, and problems with staffing and service integration.
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Number of hospitals per trust varies
As of 2022, there were 215 NHS trusts across the UK. However, this number is subject to change. For instance, there were 217 trusts in April 2020 and 202 trusts in mid-2025. The number of hospitals per trust varies. For example, the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust runs ten acute and specialist hospitals, while others are far smaller.
The number of hospitals per trust is not correlated with the number of trusts. For instance, there were only 57 trusts when the system was first established in 1991, but the number of hospitals has grown over time. The government recently committed to building 40 more hospitals by 2030. However, analysts say that the number of hospital beds is a more useful and insightful measure.
The number of hospitals per trust varies across different regions of the UK. England has 76% of all UK NHS hospitals, with 704 hospitals and the largest population. Scotland has around 11% of all NHS hospitals with 105 hospitals, Wales has around 9% with 84 hospitals, and Northern Ireland has around 4% with 37 hospitals. There is a disparity between the number of patients and hospitals in each region. For example, England is home to 84% of the UK population but has only 76% of the hospitals.
The number of hospitals per trust also varies over time due to mergers and acquisitions. For example, the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) were two separate trusts before 2020. Trusts also change over time due to organisational changes and the establishment of chains of hospitals. For instance, Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust changed its name to Wye Valley NHS Trust in 2011, and Hillingdon Community Health NHS Trust merged into Harrow and Hillingdon Healthcare Trust in 1994.
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Staffing and board diversity
As of 2022, there are 215 NHS trusts across the UK. However, this number is subject to change as new trusts are formed and existing trusts merge. The number of hospitals managed by each trust also varies, with some managing as many as 10 hospitals, while others manage fewer.
The NHS has recognised the need to improve diversity in its workforce, particularly regarding ethnic minorities. Research has shown that discrimination, harassment, and exclusion are common experiences for staff from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds. To address this, the NHS has implemented a mandatory workforce race equality standard, requiring organisations to collect and publish data on nine indicators of workforce equality for ethnic minority staff, including representation on boards. Trusts that fail to make progress on these metrics will breach their NHS standard contract, impacting their reputation as "well-led" organisations.
To attract a more diverse talent pool, NHS trusts should ensure their employer brand showcases their commitment to improving diversity. This messaging should be consistent across social media channels, job descriptions, and websites. Trusts should also carefully review their job requirements, ensuring that only essential qualifications are listed. Gender-neutral language in job descriptions can also encourage a wider range of applicants.
Diverse recruitment strategies, such as targeted microsites and affinity groups, can help engage a broader range of candidates. Building a database of diverse candidates who were not successful in their initial applications allows trusts to target them with new opportunities. Additionally, recruiting a critical mass of minorities is essential to improving their workplace experiences and reducing negative encounters.
Workplace diversity training programmes should go beyond awareness-raising to focus on practical skill development and organisational processes that encourage open communication and psychological safety for all staff. Senior leadership that reflects the ethnic diversity of the communities served can improve patient satisfaction and quality of healthcare.
Overall, improving staffing and board diversity in NHS trusts is crucial to tackling discrimination and promoting equality. By implementing strategies that attract and support diverse talent, the NHS can create more inclusive and innovative workplaces, leading to better patient outcomes.
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Funding and spending
Public funding for health services in England comes primarily from the Department of Health and Social Care's budget, which was £188.5 billion in 2023/24. The majority of this spending (94.4%, or £177.9 billion) goes towards day-to-day items such as staff salaries and medicines, while the rest is allocated to capital expenditures like new buildings or equipment. Of the day-to-day spending, £171 billion in 2023/24 was given to NHS England for health services, with the remainder going to central budgets and other arms-length bodies.
NHS England's funding is allocated in various ways. In 2022/23, £107.8 billion was used to commission local health services, while £29.8 billion was spent on directly commissioning services such as primary care, specialised services, and public health. Additional funds are allocated to service development, improvement programmes, and administration costs. Central administration and programme funding for NHS England in 2022/23 was set at £3,158 million, with a total programme funding envelope of £2.5 billion.
The number of hospital beds is also a significant factor in funding and spending. While the number of consultant-led beds in England has halved over the past 30 years due to medical advances and policy shifts, the UK has fewer hospital beds than comparable countries. The government has committed to building 40 new hospitals by 2030, but a recent audit found that only 32 are likely to be completed, and many may be too small.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS had to adapt its operations, including the establishment of seven temporary Nightingale hospitals. While these hospitals treated relatively few patients and closed in April 2021, they represented a significant expenditure during that time. Overall, spending on health services in the UK has increased by an average of 3.7% per year since 1955/56, and it is expected to continue rising, with a projected spend of £246.7 billion by 2028/29.
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Hospital bed numbers
The number of hospital beds in the UK has decreased over the years. The total number of NHS hospital beds in England has more than halved over the past 30 years, from 299,000 in 1987-88 to 141,000 in 2019-20. This reduction in bed numbers is due to policies that aim to move patients with mental illnesses and learning disabilities out of hospitals and into community care. Additionally, the increase in day-case operations has contributed to this decrease as medical innovations have reduced the time patients spend in hospitals.
The UK has fewer hospital beds per 1,000 inhabitants than many other comparable health systems. The number of acute beds in the independent sector in the UK has also been declining since the mid-1990s, falling from approximately 9,500 in 2006 to 8,900 in 2016.
The NHS has initiatives in place to address the shortage of beds, such as the 44 sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) that aim to change how acute and community services are provided, with a focus on increasing the availability of hospital beds.
As of 2022, there are 215 NHS trusts across the UK, managing a total of 930 NHS hospitals out of 1,148 total hospitals in the UK. The number of hospital beds continues to be a critical measure, and the government has committed to building 40 new hospitals by 2030 to address the growing demand for healthcare services.
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Frequently asked questions
As of mid-2025, there are 202 hospital trusts in the UK, including 10 ambulance trusts.
As of August 2023, there are 1148 hospitals in the UK, including 930 NHS hospitals and 218 private hospitals.
As of April 2025, there were 145,700 consultant-led beds available in the NHS. However, the total number of beds in the NHS will be higher as this number does not include critical care beds or those where the patient is under the care of a nurse rather than a consultant.
Here is a list of the number of NHS hospitals per district:
- Scotland: 105
- South West: 118
- London: 84
- South East: 137
- North West: 90
- East of England: 39
- Wales: 84
- West Midlands: 62
- Yorkshire & Humber: 58
- North East: 47
- East Midlands: 69
- Northern Ireland: 37
