Why we publish the number of beds available each week at Mildmay
We do this to demonstrate that Mildmay Hospital regularly has empty beds ready to welcome patients who would benefit from our specialised treatment pathways, helping to reduce NHS waiting lists.
15 February 2025
The BBC reported live from the Royal Free Hospital in London, illustrating the pressures on the NHS this winter. The A&E unit quickly filled, reaching alert level four due to overcrowding. Staff were treating patients in corridors and some were waiting outside wards on trolleys, though ambulances were not diverted. Many patients on wards did not need to be in hospital but lacked community care options. The hospital also faces challenges with ageing equipment, such as radiotherapy machines, and an increase in young patients with heart conditions due to lifestyle factors. The backlog of surgeries may take up to a decade to clear, despite efforts to improve efficiency. However, successful treatments, like a complex Whipple procedure for a cancer patient, highlight the positive outcomes that still occur.
NHS hospital beds data analysis
The NHS has a shortage of hospital beds, with occupancy rates consistently exceeding safe levels.
Compared to other nations, the UK has a very low total number of hospital beds relative to its population. The average number of beds per 1,000 people in OECD EU nations is 5, but the UK has just 2.4. Germany, by contrast, has 7.8.
Combined with staffing shortages, an insufficient core bed stock means that hospitals are less able to cope with large influxes of patients, for example during winter or periods of high demand.
This has ultimately impacted hospitals’ ability to provide safe and timely care and remains a major factor in growing backlogs.
Rising occupancy
While overall bed numbers have declined, occupancy rates have been rising. Since 2010, average bed occupancy has consistently surpassed 85%, the level generally considered to be the point beyond which safety and efficiency are at risk.
Pressures in social care are causing delayed discharges from hospital
Issues surrounding bed capacity are compounded further by discharge delays caused by pressures in social care. Up to one in three English hospital beds are occupied by patients who are medically fit to be discharged, but remain in hospital as there is no space for them in social care.
Source: BMA hospital beds data analysis
These beds could be a lifeline for those patients who no longer require the intensive care provided by our front-line NHS Hospitals, helping to alleviate the issue of delayed discharges and reduce NHS waiting lists. However, this process is dependent on ICB's sanctioning funding for these referrals, which they are often reluctant to do.
Empty beds at Mildmay present a significant financial challenge to the hospital, impacting our ability to continue providing essential care.
It’s frustrating to witness the crisis of increasing waiting lists and delayed treatments that the NHS is currently facing. Most NHS hospitals across the UK are overpopulated, with almost all beds in emergency departments being occupied.
The root cause is late patient discharges. Delays arise when hospital discharge processes are slow, and
capacity is constrained in out-of-hospital care. The total number of patients in acute hospitals who were ready to leave but were delayed has increased by 43% from an average of 8,545 patients per day in June 2021 to 12,202 patients per day in September 2023. At its peak in January 2023, there were 14,710 patients delayed in hospital*.
The overwhelming number of people in NHS hospitals has led to major issues, including ‘bed-blocking’ in hospitals, delays in transit to hospital, and, most frustratingly, blockages for treatment and sending recovered patients home or into the community.
We’re sharing this because we believe we can play a part in helping to cut NHS waiting lists.
In addition, NHS contracts provide the majority of Mildmay Hospital's income. Reduced patient referrals jeopardise the sustainability of our charitable work.
Recent News
Mildmay is an NHS-contracted specialist voluntary sector hospital with an extensive history of supporting patients with complex physical and mental health needs and co-morbidity.
Number of empty beds per week for all pathways*
(Mildmay has 28 beds in total)
5 February 2025
14
12 February 2025
14
19 February 2025
-
26 February 2025
-
*Includes beds under block-contract
There was a significant improvement from June 2024, but the number of empty beds increased again going into winter.
Contracting of services is cyclical, leading to periods of strain for both Mildmay and NHS hospitals.
Average number of empty beds per month in 2025
January 12.4 empty beds _______________________________ February 14 empty beds _______________________________ March 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ April 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ May 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ June 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ July 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ August 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ September 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ October 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ November 00.00 empty beds _______________________________ December 00.00 empty beds _______________________________
Average number of empty beds per month in 2024
January 13.00 empty beds _______________________________ February 11.25 empty beds _______________________________ March 11.75 empty beds _______________________________ April 15.25 empty beds _______________________________ May 15.00 empty beds _______________________________ June 11.25 empty beds _______________________________ July 6.6 empty beds _______________________________ August 3.5 empty beds _______________________________ September 2.5 empty beds _______________________________ October 3.2 empty beds _______________________________ November 10.5 empty beds _______________________________ December 12.5 empty beds _______________________________
Comparison of the average number of empty versus occupied beds per week for all pathways in 2024
Click to enlarge