Healthwatch England report into analysis of NHS readmissions data
As part of a broader investigation into people’s experiences of leaving hospital, Healthwatch England is today publishing new analysis of NHS emergency readmissions data
An emergency readmission is defined by the NHS as anyone who has to return to hospital for unplanned further treatment within 30 days of having left. This covers unforeseen readmissions, such as people receiving chemotherapy having to be readmitted because of side effects. It also covers cases where people have been discharged too early or without the right social care support in place.
When Healthwatch went looking into the data to see what it could tell us about people’s experiences of being discharge from hospital we found that no complete national dataset has been published on this since December 2013.
Re-admissions data from every hospital trust from the last five years
- In 2016/17 there were 529,318 emergency readmissions reported by 84 hospital trusts
- Between 2012/13 – 2016/17 the number of emergency readmissions rose by 22.8% (compared with a 9.3% rise in overall admissions)
- The numbers of emergency readmissions within 24 hours rose even faster with a 29.2% increase
- The number readmitted within 48 hours account for 1 in 5 of the overall total (21.6%)
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