Hospital admissions for older people on the increase

The number of hospital admissions for older people’s services in Scotland has risen in each of the last three years, according to a new report.

In a study of the 19 largest hospitals with major emergency departments in the country, researchers at the University of Aberdeen found there was a rise of around 10 per cent for three straight years to 2017-2018.

The most recent figures suggest the number of geriatric admissions reached a total of 43,311. In the Acute Hospital Outcomes Report 2017-18, which provides an overview of outcomes of acute geriatric medicine services in Scotland, it was concluded the length of stay has decreased across all sites by an average of one day over the same time period. It also noted the number of admissions varied across sites, with some areas showing large increases in activity while others are in decline. There was also large variation between hospitals with the typical length of time patients spent in hospital.

Researchers suggested there was a strong relationship between the time waiting to get to a specialist bed and the overall length of time patients spent in hospital.

Differences in readmission rates and mortality were also less marked between hospitals, broadly remaining stable over the last three years.

Dr Roy Soiza, said: “There are many factors that can account for variation in outcomes, including differences in case-mix, service configuration, resources and staffing.”