Our 2024/25 year has been defined by growth, innovation and unwavering resilience. In the spring we unveiled our refreshed vision – “Healthier Together: Delivering Exceptional Healthcare For All” – and by February 2025 we welcomed our first patients at the new Bassetlaw Emergency Village, restoring round-the-clock paediatric observation and boosting overall emergency capacity.
At Montagu Hospital, we completed Phase 3 of the Community Diagnostic Centre, delivering a standalone CT, MRI and ultrasound hub as part of a £42 million redevelopment. And our Mexborough Elective Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence celebrated its first anniversary by performing over 100 joint replacements – remarkably setting a regional record of five in a single day.
We also began in earnest our long-term refurbishment plan for Doncaster Royal Infirmary, starting with the relocation of the Department of Critical Care to a new, purpose-built facility. This marks the first step in a phased programme to modernise and upgrade the estate. You can view the full plan here.
Despite sector-wide pressures, our teams cared for more people than ever. Between April 2024 and March 2025 we treated 209,821 emergency patients – a 5.6 percent increase on the previous year – and delivered 551,036 outpatient appointments, up 7.7 percent.
We admitted 127,893 inpatients and welcomed 4,280 babies, with March 2025 marking our busiest month on record for urgent and emergency care (18,629 patients). Throughout the year we collaborated closely with local partners on our Urgent and Emergency Care Improvement Plan, ensuring that more people were assessed, treated and discharged within four hours of arrival.
At the heart of our success are our people. As of 31 March 2025, we employed around 7,300 colleagues across nursing, medicine, estates, corporate and support roles. We expanded our nursing and allied health professional teams, recruited additional therapists and strengthened our estates and facilities workforce to underpin new services and rising demand.
Our turnover has stabilised at around 11 percent and sickness absence has edged closer to our 5 percent target. We remain committed to investing in recruitment, career development and wellbeing support so that every colleague feels valued, inspired and empowered to deliver the high-quality care our patients deserve.
On the financial front, we generated £641 million of income – £73 million more than last year – to fund frontline services, digital transformation and capital projects. Operating expenses totalled £668 million (£420.5 million pay; £247.5 million non-pay), resulting in an underlying deficit of £2.4 million in line with plan, and the eighth year in a row we have met our target. We invested £49.8 million in our capital programme – £27.8 million of which was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care – to deliver critical care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary and a new children’s and acute medical unit at Bassetlaw.
Looking ahead, 2025/26 will see the launch of our full Healthier Together strategy, built around four clear priorities – Patients, People, Partnerships and Pounds – and focused on four key ambitions: To modernise care environments, tackle health inequalities, become a leading centre for research and education, and grow into a digitally mature organisation.
We will begin the implementation of a new Electronic Patient Record and adopt the NHS Federated Data Platform, making the best use of technology and partnerships to enhance safety, improve efficiency and personalise care. These developments will support smarter working, better decision-making and more joined-up experiences for both patients and colleagues.
At the same time, we are entering a year of significant challenge. With a significant Cost Improvement Plan target to reach, we will need input, innovation and collaboration from every team and every corner of the organisation. This is not just a financial exercise – it is an opportunity to think differently, to simplify what we do, and to work together in new ways that improve outcomes and experiences for both patients and colleagues.
The direction is clear. The ambition is shared. The time is now. By living our values, supporting one another and embracing change, we will meet this moment – and continue delivering exceptional care for all.
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