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From Public Health Scotland, Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (quarterly) Quarter ending 30 September 2025 published today:
There were on average 13,446 available staffed beds per day for all acute specialties in the quarter ending 30 September 2025 – a 0.6% decrease compared to the same quarter in the previous year. An available staffed bed is a bed which is resourced for inpatient or day case care. Of these, 9,499 (71%) were for medical specialties and 3,947 (29%) were for surgical specialties. These percentages are unchanged from the same quarter in 2024. For all acute specialties in the quarter ending 30 September 2025, the percentage occupancy was 87.9%, a 0.6 percentage point decrease compared to the same quarter in the previous year. The percentage occupancy is the percentage of available staffed beds that were occupied on average by inpatients during the period. 1
For the same period, NHS England had 92.5% occupancy.2
The Royal college of Emergency medicine calls for 85%.3
Is there research confirming the importance of maintaining a level of bed occupancy closer to the RCEM and NHS Scotland percentage?
Yes:
From Impact of Hospital Strain on Excess Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, July 2020–July 2021 published in November 2021:
The conditions of hospital strain during July 2020–July 2021, which included the presence of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, predicted that intensive care unit bed use at 75% capacity is associated with an estimated additional 12,000 excess deaths 2 weeks later. As hospitals exceed 100% ICU bed capacity, 80,000 excess deaths would be expected 2 weeks later.4
In the UK?
Yes, Scotland’s significantly lower Covid excess deaths:
Other than the isolated South-west of England, Scotland had the lowest excess mortality rate of the 4 nations, even lower than Northern Ireland sheltered by its sea gap. 5
Sources:
- https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-quarterly/acute-hospital-activity-and-nhs-beds-information-quarterly-quarter-ending-30-september-2025/data-summary/
- https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/bed-data-overnight/
- https://rcem.ac.uk/press-release/hospital-bed-occupancy-rates-remain-dangerously-high
- https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7046a5.htm
- https://t.co/vHHPbEUoY3
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:
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Click on the above.
Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON
Talking-up Scotland 