Admissions of Failure – The truth about unplanned admissions in the NHS
Unplanned (or emergency) hospital admissions account for more than a third – 5.4 million – of all hospital admissions and two thirds of all hospital bed days . This is bad for the patients admitted in an emergency – disproportionately frail, elderly and poor. It is bad for other patients, disrupting their care and delaying appointments. It is extremely costly to the NHS – the cost was £11 billion in 2010/11 alone. Tackling unplanned admissions is vital to ensuring the Five Year Forward View is successfully implemented.