Mental Health Inpatient Census 2024 - Parts 1 and 2

1. Overview of patients being treated in NHS Scotland facilities

• There were 3,041 mental health, addiction and learning disability inpatients in NHS Scotland at the 2024 Census.
• 90% of the available hospital beds in NHS Scotland were occupied during the reporting period. However, this percentage varied across different NHS Boards.

There were 3,041 patients on the census date in 2024. This is a decrease of less than 1% from 2023 and a 22% decrease from 2014. Variation exists across NHS Boards, but all have fewer patients in 2024 compared to 2014.

Table 1: Number of patients in psychiatric, addiction or learning disability beds.

Psychiatric, addiction or learning disability inpatients, NHS Scotland, March/April Census 2014 – 2024.

*These years’ figures are approximate due to some missing hospital ward data.

c - Suppressed due to small numbers, secondary suppression also applied.

Please note that NHS Grampian, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, NHS Lothian, and NHS Tayside, have Regional Units that serve patients from other NHS Boards. NHS Fife also has a low-security Learning Disability Regional Unit for patients from other boards. NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland do not have any mental health, learning disability, or addiction inpatient beds. Instead, their patients receive treatment from other health boards or healthcare providers.

Available beds

There were 3,366 available psychiatric, addiction or learning disability beds in NHS Scotland in 2024. This is less than a 2 percentage point decrease from 2023 and a 26 percentage point decrease from 2014.

Table 2: Number of psychiatric, addiction or learning disability beds.

Psychiatric, addiction or learning disability inpatients, beds and occupancy rates, NHS Scotland, March/April Census 2014 – 2024.

*These years’ figures are approximate due to some missing hospital ward data.

The decrease in available mental health beds is a trend seen in other European countries as well. For instance, OECD data shows that psychiatric beds for the UK as a whole declined from 46 per 100,000 people in 2014 to 35 per 100,000 in 2022. However, the data is incomplete for some years and countries, and there may also be variations in methodologies between the nations. It is therefore important to exercise caution when comparing the data.

Table 3: Available beds and inpatients per 100,000 population in NHS Scotland, 2014 – 2023

Psychiatric, addiction or learning disability inpatients, NHS Scotland, March/April Census 2014 – 2024.

* These years’ figures are approximate due to some missing hospital ward data.

Bed Occupancy

The national occupancy rate of psychiatric, addiction, or learning disability beds in NHS Scotland at the 2024 Census was 90%. This is a 1% increase from 2023. Since the Census in 2014, occupancy rates have varied between 90% and 84%. However, there is a much larger variation in occupancy rates between different NHS Boards (Table 4).

Table 4: Psychiatric, addiction or learning disability inpatients, beds and occupancy rates,  NHS Scotland, March/April Census 2014 – 2024

Percentage occupancy, psychiatric, addiction or learning disability inpatients and beds, NHS Scotland, March/April Census 2014 – 2024.

* These years figures are approximate due to some missing hospital ward data.

c - Suppressed due to small numbers

Occupancy rates for psychiatric, addiction or learning disability beds in NHS Scotland have risen since the previous census.

Boarding and On Pass Patients

If a patient is “boarding” from another hospital, it means they are staying in a hospital outwith their local catchment area. This may happen because there were no available beds in a closer hospital. It may also be because their local hospital lacks the necessary services to provide appropriate treatment.

In the 2024 Census, there were 96 patients who were boarding from another hospital. Of these, 68 patients (71%) were boarding to another hospital within the same NHS Board. It is important to note that even when a patient is treated in the same NHS Health Board, this can still mean significant distances between their home and the treatment hospital. Additionally, individuals funded by the NHS from another UK nation but receiving treatment in NHS Scotland may be included in the total.
Table 5: Number of patients ‘boarding’ from another hospital in NHS Scotland

Psychiatric, addiction or learning disability inpatients, NHS Scotland, March/April Census 2016 – 2024.

* These years are missing some hospital wards and figures are approximate.

Patients who are “On Pass” are still considered inpatients of a hospital. However, they are allowed planned leave as part of their recovery care plan. This also applies to those whose detention under the Mental Health Act has been suspended. When a patient is “On Pass”, their bed may be utilised by another patient.

During the 2024 Census, there were 60 patients (2%) “On Pass” for at least an overnight period. Among these patients, 47 (78%) were “On Pass” to their own homes.

Hospital-Based Complex Clinical Care (HBCCC)

Some patients care needs cannot be met outwith a hospital setting and they require long-term complex clinical care. These patients are considered to be receiving Hospital Based Complex Clinical Care (HBCCC). Under the definition of HBCCC, a patient cannot be classified as a delayed discharge. Starting in 2016, the Inpatient Census includes data on patients receiving (HBCCC).

447 patients (15%) received HBCCC in mental health or learning disability beds. This is decrease of 39% from 2018. 33% of these patients were treated in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.

Part 3 of the Census provides a more detailed report on HBCCC. This covers patients in mental health or learning disability inpatient beds, patients treated outwith NHS Scotland, and patients in General Acute hospitals who are receiving HBCCC.

Delayed Discharge

Release of the delayed discharge data for the Scottish Government’s 2024 Mental Health Inpatient Census has been delayed because we are engaged in an ongoing data quality assurance and validation process with health boards to ensure the data provided on this topic is robust.

Previous years’ delayed discharge data can be found in the 2023 census:

Mental Health Inpatient Census 2023 - Parts 1 and 2 - gov.scot

Length of Stay

The average (median) length of stay in a facility is significant as it affects service provision by reducing patient and bed turnover. At the 2024 Census, the average (median) length of stay was 132 days (4 months).
Table 7:  Average (median) Length of Stay in days and months 

Psychiatric, addiction or learning disability inpatients, NHS Scotland, March/April Census 2014 – 2024.

* These years’ figures are approximate due to some missing hospital ward data.