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Hospital Beds Per 1,000 Population (2017): 2.54
Nurse-To-Hospital-Bed Ratio (FTE) (2017): NA
Doctors Consultations (2017): NA
Hospital Average Length of Stay (All Causes) (2017): 6.8 Days
Computed Tomography Scanners (Per Million Population) (2017):
Magnetic Imaging Resonance Units (Per Million Population) (2017):
Mammographs (Per Million Population) (2017):
Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. OECD.Stat. Last accessed April 22, 2022.
“The number of acute hospital beds is the second lowest in the EU (after Sweden) at 2.5 per 1,000 in 2016 (well below the EU average of 5.0 per 1 000). Average length of stay (ALOS) has also declined steadily, to 6.9 days in 2017, compared with the EU average of 7.9 days. These trends can be attributed, in part, to a greater focus on more cost-effective outpatient care and day surgery. However, low hospital bed numbers, high occupancy rates and increasing demand for inpatient care has limited the system’s ability to absorb shocks (Section 5.3).”
Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2019), United Kingdom: Country Health Profile 2019, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.
“Since the beginning of the NHS in 1948, there has been a decline in the number of hospitals across the United Kingdom as a whole. This is mainly due to two reasons: the shift of acute medical and surgical care from smaller hospitals to larger ones, in the interests of quality and safety; and the closure of long-stay hospitals for mental health and learning disabilities as those services are moved into the community. The latter is also the main reason for the decline in the total number of hospital beds, which is a trend throughout Europe (see Figure 4.2).
“In 2015 there were 155 acute NHS trusts and 56 mental health trusts in England, most of which consist of several hospital sites (NHS Confederation, 2015). Most are concentrated in urban areas. Although the total number of hospitals has declined, there is still a strong building programme. There is a nationwide focus on increasing the number of fit-for-purpose hospitals sited properly for optimal use, rather than attempting to update old buildings that may never be fit for purpose and may be sited in the wrong place for current and future needs.”
Source: Cylus J, Richardson E, Findley L, Longley M, O’Neill C, Steel D. United Kingdom: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2015; 17(5): 1–125.
Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.
Page last updated Sept. 22, 2022 by Doug McVay, Editor.
