Geographical disparities in adult intensive care beds in the English National Health Service: A retrospective, observational panel data study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The English National Health Service (NHS) is a publicly funded system, however significant disparities in provision exist. Whereas the national picture of the distribution of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds has increased over time, less is understood about the regional variation in the rate of growth in ICU services and whether this is related to population growth. The aim of this study was to describe the national variation in the supply of ICU beds in England and evaluate whether there has been a narrowing of the regional disparities in providing ICU beds over time.

Methods

Population-based panel analysis of ICU bed supply over a 10-year period, 2012-2021. Data were obtained from publicly available national resources. Descriptive analyses were summarised and tren

SUBMITTER: Mehta R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12245829 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature