Hospital Admissions Hit Record High As Population Ages
Hospital admissions in England rose to record levels last year, with 16.2 million admissions during 2015-16 – up from 12.7 million ten years ago.
Patients aged 65 to 69 – so called “baby boomers” – made up the single largest group of patientsa, with some 1.3 million admissions in 2015-16, according to figures released today by NHS Digital.
The report “Hospital Admitted Patient Care Activity 2015-16” shows that the average age of hospital patients has been rising steadily for many yearsb. Between 2005-06 and 2015-16, the number of admissions for patients aged 44 and under increased by less than 9 per cent (from 5.8 million to 6.3 million), whilst for patients aged 45 and over it increased by nearly 44 per cent (from 6.9 million to 9.9 million).
Over the same time period, the population has also grown, although at a much lower rate than hospital admissions – around 8 per cent (50.6 million to 54.8 million) – compared with an overall growth of nearly 30 per cent for hospital admissions (12.7 million to 16.2 million).
While the total number of admissions with procedures and interventions has increased by 56 per cent since 2005-06 (6.8 million to 10.6 million), the average length of a hospital admission c reduced from 6.6 days in 2005-06 to 4.9 days in 2015-16.
Admissions with procedures and interventions involving the lower digestive tract (including the colon) have nearly doubled (an increase of 94 per cent from 521,000 to 1.0 million), whilst those involving the upper digestive tract (including the stomach) and respiratory tract have also increased, with a rise of 81 per cent (431,000 to 782,000) and 74 per cent (181,000 to 315,000) respectively over the same time periodd.
Responsible statistician at NHS Digital, Jane Winter, said:
“The number of admissions to hospital has been rising steadily for over a decade now. Admissions in 2015-16 were the highest on record, and over the last ten years have risen at a faster rate than the population increase. For example, the number of 65 to 69 year olds has increased by 34 per cente in the past ten years, with corresponding hospital admissions growing by 57 per cent.”
View the full report at: http://digital.nhs.uk/pubs/apc1516
