Annual change in activity for NHS providers

What do these charts tell us? 

Hospital activity has increased, but not at an unprecedented level, with the rate of increase of hospital activities in 2014/15 still within range of the average annual increase.

In fact, in 2014/15 A&E attendance increased by 2.7% (the annual average from 2008/09 and 2014/15 is 2.4%) while elective admission increased at an annual rate (2.5%) below the annual average for that period (2.9%) and non-elective admissions increased at a rate of 2.4% which is above the average of 1.6% over this period.

Outpatient attendance has an average annual rate of 3.2% over this period and in 2014/15 it rose at a faster rate of 3.7%. But this rate is not unprecedented - in 2009/10 it increased at a high rate of 7.6%.

Data sources

• NHS England Quarterly A&E Activity and Emergency Admissions statistics, NHS and independent sector organisations in England
  http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/
   
• NHS England Monthly Hospital Activity
  http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/hospital-activity/monthly-hospital-activity/mar-data/