Mental Health Services: Hospital Wards
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has he made of the average length of stay in mental health inpatient units; and how this compares with the average length of stay for physical health inpatient admissions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock
The following table shows the median average length of stay for adults and children who were discharged from mental health inpatient units in England between 1 March and 31 May 2025:
| People aged 0 to 17 years old | People aged 18 to 64 years old | People aged 65 years old and over |
Number of people discharged | 731 | 13,681 | 2,737 |
Median average length of stay of people discharged | 5 days | 27 days | 73 days |
Source: Mental Health Services Dataset, NHS England.
No comparison can be made with the average length of stay for physical health inpatient admissions. NHS England has advised that data is not collected under the description of ‘physical health’ as the term is too broad.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →