Return Submission Details

Data should be entered onto the QS1 system monthly and signed off by the last working day of the month for the previous calendar month.

BEDS

Data Item	Meaning
Available Staffed Beds	Available staffed beds occupied or ready for occupation on the last day of the monthly
Temporary Unavailable Staffed Beds	Beds which would qualify as available in all other respects but are temporarily unavailable due to redecoration, quarantine or lack of staff on the last day of the month under review and will be back in use within a very short period, not more than one month, from the time they were closed. Notes: 1. In the case of wards which are regularly closed for a portion of the week, numbers of available and temporarily unavailable staffed beds should be recorded as at the last day of the month on which the ward is not subject to its regular close, e.g. for five day wards record on the last weekday. 2. The total of available staffed beds and temporarily unavailable staffed beds should equal the "Grand Total" of staffed beds allocated. Bed complement - the total number of available staffed beds, temporarily unavailable staffed beds, beds unused for lack of staff and beds out of use for any other reason.
Beds Unused for Lack of Staff	These are beds unused for more than one month for lack of staff.
Unstaffed Beds Out of Use for Other Than Lack of Staff	This is the beds out of use, for more than one month, for reasons other than lack of staff. Reasons may include redecoration or quarantine
No. of Cots in Maternity Depts for Non Special Care Babies	Cots in maternity departments other than those allocated to special care babies or intensive therapy units for babies
Total Number of 'Cot Days' Occupied by Babies in Above	This is the number of Cots in Maternity Departments that are occupied on any given day. To calculate for a month each day’s occupancy is added together.

Data Item	Meaning
No. of Authorised Beds - Amenity Beds	Number of amenity beds authorised. This related to the number on last day of the month under review, irrespective of actual use. Amenity beds are those where the patient pays for a bed in a single room or in a small ward and the associated hotel services (food & laundry).
No. of Authorised Beds - Pay Beds	Number of pay beds authorised. This should be the number authorised on the last day of the month, irrespective of actual use Pay beds are those where the patient has paid for all services during their stay i.e. the cost of the bed, cost of treatment, nursing costs and all hotel services. (Private Patient).
Average Daily Occupancy by Paying Patients - Amenity Beds	Total daily occupation of amenity beds by paying patients divided by number of days in month Amenity beds are those where the patient pays for a bed in a single room or in a small ward and the associated hotel services (food & laundry).
Average Daily Occupancy by Paying Patients - Pay Beds	Average = total daily occupation for month divided by number of days in month Pay beds are those where the patient has paid for all services during their stay i.e. the cost of the bed, cost of treatment, nursing costs and all hotel services. (Private Patient).

Data Item	Meaning
Specifically Set Aside Anti Natal Care Beds	Number of beds specifically set aside for ante-natal care.

Inpatients

The following counts are required to be reported by Specialty.

Data Item

Meaning

Staffed Beds Allocated

The total number of "available" and "temporarily unavailable" staffed beds.

Available Beds

Occupied or ready for occupation on the last day of the month under review, i.e. in which patients are being or could be treated without any changes in facilities or staff being made.

This includes cots in special care baby units and intensive therapy units for babies.

Excludes:

a)	Labour (first and second stage) as distinct from maternity beds.
b)	Beds in reception wards, unless in permanent use in psychiatric hospitals.
c)	Temporary beds (or stretchers) unless in permanent use in psychiatric hospitals.
d)	Observation or recovery beds used for only a few hours, whether in out-patients departments or recovery units;
e)	Beds used solely for regular day or night patients
f)	Cots for normal newly born infants in maternity departments
g)	Beds specifically allocated for healthy people
h)	Beds used for day cases

Temporary Unavailable Beds

beds which would qualify as available in all other respects but are temporarily unavailable due to redecoration, quarantine or lack of staff on the last day of the month under review and will be back in use within a very short period, not more than one month, from the time they were closed.

Notes:

1. In the case of wards which are regularly closed for a portion of the week, numbers of available and temporarily unavailable staffed beds should be recorded as at the last day of the month on which the ward is not subject to its regular close, e.g. for five day wards record on the last weekday.

2. The total of available staffed beds and temporarily unavailable staffed beds should equal the "Grand Total" of staffed beds allocated.

Bed complement - the total number of available staffed beds, temporarily unavailable staffed beds, beds unused for lack of staff and beds out of use for any other reason.

Average Daily Beds

This is the average daily number of available staffed and temporary beds excluding those in special care baby units or intensive therapy units.

This should be based on a count from midnight and 9am. Beds are those in which patients are being or could be treated without changes in facilities or staff being made. Temporary and private beds should be included.

Average = Total of daily counts divided by number of days in month. The figure should be the same or greater than the average daily number of occupied beds.

N.B In mixed specialty wards and wards where beds are borrowed in sufficient numbers, e.g. intensive therapy units, it may be necessary to make special arrangements for deciding the specialty to which unoccupied beds are available. Hospitals may, if they wish, show unoccupied beds against the major users of the ward concerned, but any arrangements made should be as precise as possible.

Average Daily Occupied

This is the average daily number of beds occupied by patients under the care of a consultant in a particular specialty.

Notes:

1. A bed may only be occupied by one patient at any given time. For example, staffed unoccupied beds which are reserved for patients on weekend leave (maximum 3 nights) may be regarded as occupied. If occupied by another patient during this period it should be counted as occupied by that patient and not the patient on home leave.

2. A bed temporarily used by a day case during the day but otherwise not in use by an inpatient is counted as unoccupied.

This should be based on a count taken between midnight and 9am. Count should include private patients. Count should not include day case patients.

Average = Total of daily counts divided by number of days in month

Deaths & Discharges

Number of patients discharged or died in month.

If a patient dies or is transferred to another hospital (except where the patient's bed is kept vacant) it is counted as a discharge. Babies are only discharged if they have been patients i.e. nursed in special care or intensive therapy units.

For QS1

Discharge is the end of the patient's continuous spell using the beds of one separately administered provider site. If a patient dies, this counts as a discharge.

Discharges are classified according to the specialty of the consultant or GP under whose care they were immediately before discharge.

1. A patient temporarily absent and expected to return, e.g. on home leave, should not be counted as discharged, even if the bed is temporarily occupied by another patient.

2. Discharges should not include babies other than babies nursed in a special care baby unit, intensive therapy units for babies or paediatric departments.

3. Inpatients (but not day cases) not included in the bed occupancy figures because they were admitted and discharged between bed counts or were not accommodated overnight, should be included in the discharge and death figures.

Deaths and Discharge information is only required for the following:

High Dependency Unit

Special Care Baby Unit

Intensive Care

Paediatric Intensive Care

Bone Marrow Unit

Outpatients

The following counts are required to be reported by Specialty.

Data Item

Meaning

Number of Clinics Held

Number of outpatient clinic sessions held during month. Sessions must be held, not merely scheduled.

An Outpatient Clinic is defined as a Consultant Clinic. Patients may see a consultant, an Independent Nurse, a member of his firm or associated health professional. Also, covers GPs acting as consultants by arrangement of the health care provider. It does not include clinics not controlled by the consultant or Independent Nurse e.g. run by midwives or GPs in their own right.

The following clinics should count as a single session:-

a. One consultant present, however, many other doctors are assisting.

b. No consultant present but held specifically on behalf of a consultant.

c. Held jointly by consultants in different specialties; these should be recorded as a single unit under joint consultant clinic (code 9900).

d. A clinic held by an Independent Nurse

e. Any combination of joint ante-natal, post-natal and gynaecology sessions; recorded as an ante-natal session.

Number of Clinics Cancelled

Number of outpatient clinic sessions cancelled during month.

A cancelled clinic session is one which was intended to be available but which was not held by any specialty, classified by the last specialty scheduled to the session.

Included are cancellations due to unplanned study leave, sickness and holidays. Cancellations due to public or planned holidays or planned study leave should be taken into account instead in the number intended to be available.

Activity codes for use in QS1.

9992	Accident & Emergency (Out-Patient only)
9993	High Dependency Care
9995	Intensive Therapy Units For Babies
9996	Special Care Baby Unit
9997	Bone Marrow Unit
9998	Intensive Care
9999	Grand Totals