The NHS is wasting billions of pounds each year by admitting patients unnecessarily, continuing ineffective treatments, and failing to perform more operations at weekends, according to the latest Dr Foster Hospital Guide.
The guide reveals that 29% of hospital beds are occupied by patients who could have been treated elsewhere. This includes 11.9% of beds taken by patients with conditions like asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure, who could be managed by GPs and community services. Another 6% of beds are occupied by patients readmitted as emergencies within a week of discharge, costing an estimated £778.6 million in 2011-12.
Dr Foster also found that 2% of beds are used for operations that could be day surgery, and up to 3% are occupied by dementia patients for whom hospital care has little effect. The cost of treating patients in these beds last year was £6.449 billion, but community-based alternatives would cost about one third less, potentially saving the NHS around £2 billion annually.
Other waste identified includes 5.8 million missed outpatient appointments, costing £585 million in lost revenue, and variation in follow-up appointments between trusts, adding £295 million in unnecessary spending. The guide also notes that 175,106 operations of low or no clinical benefit, such as tonsillectomies, cost £261 million, while 669,319 patients admitted with vague symptoms and discharged without a diagnosis cost £410 million.
Dr Foster suggests efficiency gains could be made by using expensive resources more intensively, such as performing more operations and MRI scans at weekends. However, some waste is beyond NHS control, such as the growing number of elderly patients occupying beds due to inadequate social care. Age UK's Michelle Mitchell highlighted prevention of falls and malnutrition, better management of long-term conditions, and improved community services as key to reducing hospital admissions.
