When beds in hospitals are limited – to the extent where patients are being left in cupboards - it’s interesting to look at which conditions are putting the most strain on NHS budgets.
Fifteen million people were admitted to hospital in the UK in 2012-13.
And one thing really stands out when you look at who goes into hospital and why. Mental health conditions put a crushingly heavy burden on the NHS. There are big differences between mental and physical health but it can be informative just to look at the numbers.
Someone admitted to hospital for schizophrenia stays there an astonishing average of 30 days, the longest for any condition.
Compare that to the average stay of someone admitted to hospital with burns (1 day) or lung cancer (5 days) and the difference is stark.