Scottish Government

Reduce Emergency Admissions to Hospital

DESCRIPTION:

This indicator reports on the rate of emergency admissions to hospital per 100,000 people.

SOURCE:

Figures for the indicator are derived from data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals through the Scottish Mortality Record 01 (SMR01). Data from the 3 Scottish Dental hospitals (in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow), and the specialties Special Care Baby Unit and Geriatric Long Stay are excluded.

The basic unit of analysis is a Continuous Inpatient Stay (CIS) in hospital. Probability matching methods have been used to link together individual SMR01 hospitals episodes for each patient, thereby creating "linked" patient stay histories. The total number of emergency admissions is then calculated by counting the number of continuous spells in hospital within a financial year.

When combined with population estimates provided by the National Records of Scotland, these data can be used to calculate the emergency admission rate per 100,000 population.

Statistics relating to hospital admissions, including the figures used for the National Indicator, are published on the ISD website:

Inpatient and Day Case Activity

DEFINITIONS:

An emergency admission is defined as being a new continuous spell of care in hospital where the patient was admitted as an emergency. The patient may or may not be admitted through Accident & Emergency.

The total number of emergency admissions is then calculated by counting the number of continuous spells in hospital within a financial year.

From December 2009, all ISD National Statistics data are based on the date of discharge rather than the date of admission. An emergency admission is only counted if the date of discharge associated with the spell of hospital care is within the financial years specified.

BASELINE AND PAST TRENDS:

The baseline for this indicator is 2006/07, at which point there were 9,538 emergency admissions per 100,00 population.

Emergency admissions rate (per 100,000 population)

CRITERIA FOR RECENT CHANGE ARROW:

The evaluation is based on: any difference within +/- 100 per 100,000 population of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. A decrease of 100 per 100,000 or more suggests the position is improving; whereas an increase of 100 per 100,000 or more suggests the position is worsening.

FUTURE ISSUES OR REVIEWS:

Data for 2016/17 are provisional, with a small number of cases still to be counted, however are considered complete at Scotland level. This level of completeness may vary at NHS Board level. Finalised figures for 2016/17 are expected to be published next year, along with provisional figures for 2017/18.