More people are admitted to hospital following head injuries in the North West than elsewhere in England
 
New analysis from health information specialists CHKS has found that people living in the 16 primary care trusts (PCTs) around the Liverpool and Manchester conurbations are more likely to be admitted to hospital following a head injury. Even when taking into account age and deprivation at individual diagnosis level, admission rates are 37 per cent higher than the average for England. This means people are 1.4 times more likely to be admitted to hospital with a head injury if they live in this area.
 
The cost of these hospital admissions is considerable. Assuming an average £500 per case based on short stay admission tariffs, the excess admissions amount to over 5,000 cases per year, costing the NHS in the North West £2.5m per year.
 
The outlier in the analysis is Bolton PCT where hospital admissions are lower than the national average and in the lowest quartile. Bolton NHS Foundation Trust manages most head injuries in the Bolton Community Unit for 12 to 24 hours with the aim of avoiding hospital admissions whenever it is safe to do so. Patients arriving in A&E are either identified and referred by the A&E team or identified and pulled through by the Community Unit team who regularly attend A&E and select patients based on clearly defined criteria.
 
Jason Harries, managing director, CHKS said: “It’s is clear from our analysis that PCTs in the North West could be looking at ways to reduce hospital admissions following head injuries. Bolton PCT’s Community Unit initiative has certainly made a difference according to our figures.”
 
Notes to editors:
1. CHKS Ltd, part of Capita plc, is a provider of healthcare intelligence and quality improvement services to the NHS and independent healthcare sector. With over 20 years’ experience and having worked with over 300 clients, CHKS has a portfolio of information products, internationally-recognised accreditation programmes and consultancy services which provide clinicians and managers with the information needed to drive improvements inpatient care, financial efficiency, clinical effectiveness and quality. 
 
 
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