Excluding admissions transferred to another acute hospital.
The closure is defined as the restriction of new patient admissions, transfers into or discharges from the affected unit (ward or bay within the ward).
Admissions were identified as having SAP if their primary reason for admission was recorded as 'acute pancreatitis,'chronicic pancreatitis,' or 'infective pancreatitis.' Admissions transferred in from another critical care unit were excluded.
Possibly, the presence of an IMCU treating patients not admitted to ICU, especially in times of pressure on ICU beds, may have avoided an increase of the ICU staffing workload connected to the patient turnover (admissions, transfers and discharges).
We excluded critical care units with less than six months of data in 2008-09 admissionsions transferred either directly into a unit from another critical care unit or transferred out of a unit directly to another critical care unit within 24 hours.
Figures released by NHS England on Monday show that 88.4% spent four hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge in the week ending 5 April.
The most deprived women also had a higher chance of hospital admission, transfer during labour and unplanned caesarean delivery, according to the study, based on data from more than 5,000 responses to the 2010 National Maternity Survey.
NHS England said 91.6% of patients spent four hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge in the week ending 15 February, down from 92.9% the previous week.
In March, 1,005 patients spent 12 hours or more from arrival until admission, transfer or discharge.
Meanwhile, a total of 483 patients spent 12 hours or more from arrival until admission, transfer or discharge in June.
The statistics refer to time taken until admission, transfer or discharge, not just the time it took for someone to be seen for the first time.
