Explaining acute hospital admission rates

Principal Investigator: Professor Richard Baker

Other key staff: Dr Jay Banerjee, Dr Marwan Habiba, Professor Andrew Wilson, Dr Ron Hsu, Dr Simon Freeman, Professor Aly Rashid, Dr Simon Conroy, Mr Paul Sinfield, Dr John Bankart, Ms Shona Agarwal and Ms Janette Camosso-Stefinovic

Partners involved: University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, NHS Leicester City, NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland, University of Leicester and NHS Northamptonshire

Summary: Emergency admissions made up 35.3% of all admissions in England in 2007-8. National data indicate an annual increase in emergency admissions of around 5-6% in the last few years. University Hospitals of Leicester is the major provider of unscheduled hospital activity (Emergency Department attendances and emergency admissions) for NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland. This continuing rise in emergency admissions is not fully understood and will intensify the financial and logistical pressures already felt by the health system.

This project is intended to have three components:

1) A focused literature search to determine what is currently known about the reasons for variations in acute hospital admission rates

2) Using available routinely collected data to map rates of admission in NHS Leicestershire & County

3) Undertaking a qualitative study of patients attending the emergency department to investigate their experiences of seeking emergency care

Aims:

• To explain why the observed acute admission rate in NHS Leicestershire County & Rutland is higher than the expected rate estimated from appropriately adjusted national data

Further information: If you would like to be involved in this study, or for more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Start date: 01/2010                                                                                                Expected end date: 12/2010

Project outcomes:

• Outcomes include additions to an information system for practices, and evidence to support decision making by local Trusts on managing unscheduled care

This multi-method project will provide NHS Leicester City and NHS Leicestershire County & Rutland with information about the reasons for high acute admission rates. This will lead on to proposals for means of reducing admission rates.