Rotherham Hospital has introduced changes after the death rate among patients undergoing major abdominal surgery was found to be higher than the national average.<\/p>\n
Mortality following emergency laparotomies was 168% higher than the national average in 2024\/25, according to hospital board papers.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The trust said it had made efforts to diagnose patients earlier and upgraded the way patient information is passed between teams.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Patients requiring an emergency laparotomy are often seriously ill and may pass through several hospital departments and clinical teams.<\/p>\n
The trust said a number of factors could affect their outcome, rather than identifying a single explanation for the higher mortality recorded during 2024\/25.<\/p>\n
Other changes made at Rotherham include changes to patients’ route through the hospital and additional workforce support.<\/p>\n