KCHFT among highest performing trusts
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) has been recognised as one of the highest performing community trusts in England in the latest NHS Oversight Framework (NOF) results, published on Thursday, 10 September 2026.
Every NHS trust is assessed quarterly against a consistent set of national standards, covering urgent and emergency care, elective services and mental health.
In the most recent quarter, KCHFT was placed in segment one, the highest performance category, and ranked sixth out of 58 community trusts nationally.
Segment one is the highest performance category within the NHS Oversight Framework and reflects strong performance across a range of measures.
Mairead McCormick, Chief Executive, said: "Being placed in segment one and ranked sixth among community trusts in England by NHS England is a fantastic achievement and reflects the dedication and professionalism of our colleagues. Every day, they work tirelessly to provide high-quality care and support for local people. We remain focused on improving outcomes, reducing health inequalities and making sure our services continue to meet the needs of communities across Kent, London and East Sussex."
What the NHS National Oversight Framework means
The NHS Oversight Framework provides a transparent view of how NHS organisations are performing against national priorities. It helps identify strong performance, support improvement and make sure organisations receive the right level of oversight.
Trusts in the top segment are offered greater autonomy, including the ability to reinvest surplus budgets into frontline improvements such as new diagnostic equipment and building upgrades. The Government's 10-Year Plan will see the introduction of a new wave of NHS Advanced Foundation Trusts, giving high-performing organisations greater freedom to shape services around local needs. In July, NHS England announced that KCHFT had been selected to begin assessment as part of the next wave of the NHS Advanced Foundation Trust programme.
Since the league tables were introduced in September 2025, KCHFT has consistently been placed in segment one. KCHFT was ranked seventh nationally when the tables were first published and rose to first place nationally by March and June 2026.
KCHFT previous rankings are below.
- 11 June, 2026: 1st
- 18 March, 2026: 1st
- 11 December, 2025: 8th
- 9 September, 2025: 7th
Frequently asked questions
Rankings are recalculated every quarter using the latest performance data. A trust's position can rise or fall if its own performance changes or if other trusts improve or decline. A ranking is relative to similar organisations, so movement does not always mean performance has worsened.
NHS England assesses organisations against a range of measures across five domains:
- Access to services.
- Effectiveness and experience of care.
- Patient safety.
- People and workforce.
- Finance and productivity.
The scores for these measures are combined to create an overall performance score and ranking.
Not necessarily. A trust may maintain strong performance but move down the rankings if other organisations make faster improvements.
NHS England publishes updated segmentation and league table data every quarter using the latest available performance information.
Yes. Under the NHS Oversight Framework, organisations reporting a financial deficit or receiving deficit support cannot be placed in the highest segments, regardless of their performance against other measures.
No. All NHS organisations continue to have areas where they are seeking to improve. The rankings provide a snapshot based on the measures included in the Oversight Framework and should be viewed alongside other information about quality, safety and patient experience.
Segment one is the highest performance category in the NHS Oversight Framework and is assigned to organisations with the narrowest range of challenges across the measures assessed by NHS England. Trusts in the top segment are offered greater autonomy, including the ability to reinvest surplus budgets into frontline improvements such as new diagnostic equipment and building upgrades. The Government's 10-Year Plan will see the introduction of a new wave of NHS Advanced Foundation Trusts, giving high-performing organisations greater freedom to shape services around local needs. In July, NHS England announced that KCHFT had been selected to begin assessment as part of the next wave of the NHS Advanced Foundation Trust programme.
