Episode Based Activity

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A consultant episode is the time a patient spends in the continuous care of one consultant. The episode can be finished because of discharge, death or transfer, either to another consultant or another hospital. As a result, a patient may have more than one FCE during an admission to hospital (if transferred to the care of another consultant).

Episode based acute hospital inpatient and day case activity data is obtained from the Hospital Inpatient System (HIS), which is patient level administrative data source.

Information on the following is now freely available for the years 2005/06 to 2011/12 for activity within the Acute Programme of Care.  

Before accessing the tables, it is advised that users firstly refer to the explanatory notes and glossary of terms below for further explanation and definitions of terms used in the tables.

The HIS records information on patients admitted to acute hospitals as inpatients or day cases. It does not hold information on patients attending hospital as outpatients or who attended an Accident and Emergency Department and were not admitted, nor does it hold details of patients admitted under any psychiatric or mental health specialties. Also, the Hospital Inpatient System does not hold details of patients treated in the Primary Care setting.

Please note that HIS data relates to all episodes within the Acute Programme of Care (PoC 1).  Activity recorded under Maternity & Child Health, Elderly Care, Mental Health and Learning Disability (PoC 2, 4, 5 & 6) is excluded.  Additionally from 2008/09 Independent Sector activity carried out within HSC Hospitals is excluded.

For information on the number of inpatient and day case admissions to hospital please see the Northern Ireland Hospital Statistics: Inpatient and Day Case Activity (2011/12) publication:-

Jennifer Myers
Hospital Information Branch
DHSSPS
Annexe 2
Castle Buildings
BT4 3SQ