To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 146908 on Hospital Beds: Costs, what the unit cost per day is for NHS (a) elective, (b) non-elective, (c) high dependency and (d) standard ward beds.
Answered on
30 March 2023
Using cost collection data for 2020/21, the most recently available data, the unit cost per day of NHS hospital beds is as follows:
- Elective - £2,349
- Non-elective - £901
- Critical care - £1,881
- Standard bed - £345
The elective and non-elective costs above are the average cost per day in those points of delivery, including treatment costs. Elective care has a higher average per day cost as elective patients often have shorter spells in hospital. Patients who are admitted as non-elective admissions often spend longer in hospital including recovery and days spent waiting for discharge, so whilst the total cost for non-elective treatment is higher than elective treatment, the average per day cost is reduced as it is spread over many more days. Costs for critical care are averages across adults, children, and neonates. The standard bed cost is the average cost of a bed day excluding any treatment costs.