Revealed: Postcode lottery of hospital beds as some areas have fewer per person than Mexico

EMBARGO: 00:01 Thursday 31st August

• Areas with lowest number of hospital beds revealed in stark ‘postcode lottery’

• Since 2015, two-thirds of NHS hospital trusts have seen a decline in the number of beds per person

• 44 NHS hospital trusts have seen at least a 10% decline in the number of beds per 1,000 people

• Lib Dem Health and Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP will highlight the lack of hospital beds in Mid Bedfordshire when visiting the constituency today

The number of hospital beds in different areas of the country has been revealed through House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats. 

The worst affected hospitals saw a staggering amount of lost beds per person. At Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust there are 41.4% fewer beds per 1,000 people than in 2015. The Trust has just 0.9 beds per 1,000 people, below Mexico which is the lowest nation in the OECD.

In the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust there are 33% fewer beds per person compared to 2015.

On a visit to Mid Bedfordshire today, Lib Dem Health and Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP will highlight how Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has just 1.7 hospital beds per 1,000 people. 

That is well below the average in England of 2.3 and is in line with Colombia for the number of beds when compared to population. Colombia has the third fewest number of beds per 1,000 people in the OECD.

82 of the 121 Trusts that the Library provided complete data for had seen a fall in the number of beds per person. Staggeringly, 36% of the Trusts that the Library gave full figures for had seen a drop in the number of beds per 1,000 people of over 10%.

It comes as the data also revealed that the number of total hospital beds in England has fallen by 2,233 since 2015. It means there are just 2.3 beds per 1,000 people and that there are 6% less hospital beds when compared to population now than in 2015.

When compared to the rest of Europe, the UK lags far behind, ranking 23rd out of 24 countries in numbers of beds per 1,000 people with 2.4. 

The research showed that while the average beds per 1,000 people in Europe is 4.5, the UK has just 2.4. Germany has more than three-times as many beds per 1,000 people with 7.8. 

Recently, the government announced funding for just 900 extra beds in England, which would not even cover half of the shortfall since 2015. 

The Liberal Democrats say that this shows the Conservatives are setting the NHS up for another winter on the brink thanks to their long term lack of investment in capacity.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has said more needs to be done to reach a safe level and that creating extra staffed beds is key.

The Liberal Democrats are therefore calling on the government to increase the number of staffed beds at NHS hospitals by backing the RCEM’s recommendation to increase the number of beds in England by 8,527.

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said:

“After the appalling scenes of people dying in the back of ambulances and being treated in corridors, you would have thought that Ministers would have moved heaven and earth to massively increase bed capacity in hospitals this year. 

“Instead, the Conservative government has continued to drive our NHS into the ground, leaving patients and NHS staff fearful that our health service is being set up for yet another difficult winter.

“We need the urgent rollout of thousands of new staffed beds across the NHS. If not, we will see the same ambulance queues outside our A&Es this winter with patients backed up in corridors in pain.

"In Bedfordshire especially, people have been let down by a Conservative government that has run our NHS into the ground. At this upcoming by-election, it will be an opportunity to elect a hardworking local champion who will stand up for local health services and bring constituent’s issues right to the heart of Parliament."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The data from the House of Commons Library can be found here. 

The government’s announcement on hospital beds can be found here. 

Royal College of Emergency Medicine - response to Government announcement here.

Royal College of Emergency Medicine - 8,527 extra beds for England recommendation here.