Statistics raise concerns over NHS care

Published by Hannah Wooderson for NHS hospital admissions for drink and drug abusers rose by almost a third in three years, according to a report published today. The study also found that between 1996 and 2006 the number of beds on NHS mental health wards fell, but the number of patients sectioned rose 20%. By 2006, sectioned patients were only five times more likely to be in an NHS facility than a private one, compared with 15 times more likely in 1996. The increase in drink and drug admissions up to 2006 changed the environment on inpatient psychiatric wards, according to the report's authors, led by consultant psychiatrist Patrick Keown. Professor Scott Weich from the University of Warwick wrote in an accompanying article in the British Medical Journal: "These numbers say nothing about the quality of service or the... [read full story]