Ageing population and co-morbidities

The population is ageing and conditions are becoming more complex due to increasing co-morbidities. The number of ICU beds is increased, closer to the EU average, to meet the demands of an ageing population and provide better patient care. Outreach programmes are further used to bring patients into high dependency units early. However, increasing the number of beds increases supply-driven demand, removing the incentive to reduce the number of unnecessary admissions

Proposed workforce impact

• Increased demand is likely as a result of this driver.

Sources or references

• www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_258607.pdf

Additional research questions

• Would an increase in beds per capita result in supply-induced demand for them?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.