NHS hospitals in England had 1,200 more admissions per day in 2014/15 than previous year

Around 1,200 more people were admitted to NHS hospitals in England per day in 2014/15 than in 2013/14, according to latest Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) figures.

There were 15.9 million admissions to NHS hospitals in England in 2014/15 – equivalent to 43,500 per day. This is 1,200 more per day on average than in 2013/14 and 10,400 more per day on average than in 2004/05.

The latest analysis shows an increase of 2.8% (430,400) in hospital admissions since 2013/14 (15.5 million) and an increase of 31.3% (3.8 million) in hospital admissions since 2004/05 (12.1 million).

Over the same time period the population has grown, although at a lower rate than hospital admissions. The rate of admissions in 2014/15 was 29,260 per 100,000 population, compared with 24,110 admissions per 100,000 population in 2004/05.

The highest number of admissions by age was for patients aged 65 to 69 (1.3 million) and the largest increase in admissions was for patients aged 70 to 74, up 5.9% (68,100) since 2013/14 to 1.2 million in 2014/15.

HSCIC responsible statistician Jane Winter said: ‘[The increase in admissions] is not solely explained by the increase in the population of England, although the ageing population may have a greater impact on hospital admissions. At the same time, these figures show the average length of stay in hospital has decreased steadily.’

Read the full HSCIC report Hospital Episode Statistics, Admitted Patient Care, England 2014/15 here.