Hospitals with the highest avoidable admissions

Around 15% of emergency admissions at some trusts are potentially avoidable, according to new NHS England data.

NHS England started publishing data  on the amount of non-elective hospital admissions that “may be avoidable” at the beginning of the year.

HSJ analysis of this shows the national average at 10%, but this rises to up to 15%t at some trusts in the 12 months to January 2026, the most recent month of data. 

This means around one in six patients who were urgently admitted to hospital, and spent at least a day there, could have instead been seen by ambulatory, or same-day emergency care services.

The data focuses solely on hospital admissions, which could have been treated in other care settings, rather than “avoidable” accident and emergency attendances, which HSJ has previously reported on.

The national data, which now goes back to 2021, shows the avoidable admission rate has remained relatively stable at around 10%.

Sarah Scobie, deputy director of research at the Nuffield Trust, said: “The fact we aren’t seeing a decline in the proportion of these admissions that are potentially avoidable could come as disappointing news for Department of Health and Social Care, as efforts to shift care away from acute hospitals and into the community haven’t yet translated into fewer preventable admissions.”

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Source: HSJ, 13 May 2026