Acute Activity

Statistical Publication Notice

Acute Activity - Emergency and Multiple Emergency Admissions Update

29 April 2008

INTRODUCTION

A steady rise in the number of emergency inpatient admissions has been a major source of pressure for the NHS over the past twenty years.

Analysis contained within this web publication has been developed to try to get a better understanding of the underlying trends in emergency admissions, and in particular multiple emergency admissions.

Emergency admissions and multiple emergency admissions became a key component of the drivers for change first outlined in the Kerr report, published in May 2005. One of the key targets identified as a result of this report is; by 2008-09 to reduce the proportion of older people (aged 65+) who are admitted as an emergency inpatient 2 or more times in a single year by 20% compared with 2004-05.

Normally published in November as part of ISD’s Acute Activity, Waiting Times and Waiting Lists (quarterly and annual data) publication, this update reflects improved national completeness for hospital discharge summaries and replaces the scheduled May refresh to bring published data in line with current performance measures.

KEY POINTS

The tables presented in this web release include national, 10 year trend data for the numbers of patients with 1 or more emergency admission within 365 days and the level of bed occupancy. These figures show;

relative stability in annual totals for patients aged 0 to 64 over this period
steady year on year increase in totals for patients aged 65 and older, from approximately 120,000 in 1997/1998 to around 137,000 in 2006/2007 (i.e. a 14% increase overall)
the burden this places on hospital-based service provision equates to an extra 18,700 occupied bed days per year on average.

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MAIN CONTACTS:

Richard Hunter
Senior Information Analyst
0131 275 6957
richard.hunter@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk

Stephen Halcrow
Information Analyst
0131 275 6342
stephen.halcrow@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk

Julie Ferguson
Information Analyst
0131 275 7569
julie.ferguson@isd.csa.scot.nhs.uk

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GLOSSARY:

Spell of treatment – an episode or series of episodes associated with a single continuous stay in hospital which may include transfers between hospitals, clinical specialties or consultants within specialties.

Emergency admission – admission to hospital following a serious occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action. The patient may or may not be admitted through Accident and Emergency.

Multiple emergency admission – occurs when a single patient is admitted to hospital as an emergency on more than one occasion in a 365 day period.

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