Publication of the Annual Northern Ireland Acute Episode-Based Activity Statistics for 2025/26
Date published:
The Department of Health has published the Northern Ireland Acute Episode-Based Activity Statistics for 2025/26.
The purpose of this publication is to complement data contained in the Northern Ireland Hospital Statistics: Inpatient and Day Case Activity (2025/26) publication, issued on 6th August 2026, and available on the DoH website at: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/inpatient-and-day-case-activity
While the Northern Ireland Hospital Statistics: Inpatient and Day Case Activity (2025/26) publication is based on admissions to hospitals, this publication is based on finished consultant episodes (FCEs). A patient may have more than one FCE during one admission to hospital.
The Acute Episode-Based Activity Statistics show detailed analysis at specialty, diagnosis, procedure and healthcare resource group levels within the Acute Programme of Care (PoC 1). Episode-based data in Northern Ireland can be compared with the equivalent Hospital Episode Statistics published annually in England.
Inpatient and day case activity data for consultant-led episodes completed on or after 8 May 2025 in Western Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust are still being developed following the Trust’s transition to encompass. Therefore Western HSC Trust data has not been included in any analysis and the below figures relate only to the other 4 HSC Trusts.
Key facts and figures for Northern Ireland Acute Episode-Based Activity Statistics for 2025/26:
Number of finished consultant episodes within the acute programme of care:
- In 2025/26, there were 570,282 Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) in Northern Ireland hospitals within the Acute Programme of Care, an increase of 7.3% on the previous year (531,427 in 2024/25) and an increase of 16.3% on the 490,426 recorded in 2021/22.
- Of the 570,282 FCEs during 2025/26, over a third, 200,418 (35.1%) were admitted for day case treatment. Over the last five years, the number of day case episodes has increased by 72.0% from 116,522 in 2021/22 to 200,418 in 2025/26. Over the same period, the number of inpatient episodes increased by 11.4% from 282,665 in 2021/22 to 314,830 in 2025/26.
- The average length of an inpatient episode was 3.6 days in 2025/26; an increase from 3.4 days in 2021/22.
High Volume Activity:
This activity relates to the most frequently recorded diagnosis of patients admitted to hospital, and the most common procedures carried out in Health and Social Care Hospitals.
- In 2025/26, the most frequently recorded primary diagnosis was chronic kidney disease with a total of 59,092 FCEs (10.4%).
- In 2025/26, compensation for renal failure was the most frequently recorded main procedure (59,758).
Topical Information Areas:
These are the areas most frequently requested by customers, including researchers and the general public.
- In 2025/26, there were 78,471 FCEs where a diagnosis of cancer or other neoplasm was recorded as the primary diagnosis – an increase of 24.3% when compared to 2024/25 (63,134) and an increase of 19.1% when compared to 2021/22 (65,894).
- Over the same period, there has been a rise by 78.5% (increasing from 11,296 in 2021/22 to 20,168 in 2025/26) in the number of FCEs where the primary diagnosis recorded was influenza and pneumonia.
- FCEs where a diagnosis of ischaemic heart disease was recorded in a primary position, have increased by 10.2% from 10,360 recorded in 2021/22 to 11,417 recorded in 2025/26.
- There has been a rise in the number of FCEs where a hip procedure was the primary intervention, from 1,640 in 2021/22 to 2,235 in 2025/26 – an increase of 36.3%.
Notes to editors:
1. All published hospital inpatient activity data is available online at: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/dhssps-statistics-and-research/hospital-activity-statistics
2. Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Hospital Activity
- When interpreting the statistics presented in this report, consideration should be given to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on hospital services. Users should be aware that the pandemic drastically altered the functions of hospitals during the reporting period, including the availability and location of services. This has had a direct impact on the activity observed.
- 2025/26 data can be compared with previous years, but users should bear in mind that many of the changes observed will be influenced by and attributable to the impact of COVID-19.
3. Encompass
- Encompass is a new electronic patient record system, creating a single digital care record for every citizen in Northern Ireland who receives health and social care. It aims to create better experiences for patients, service users and staff by bringing together information from various existing systems that do not currently communicate effectively. The programme was first introduced in the South Eastern HSCT on 9th November 2023, followed by Belfast HSCT on 6th June 2024, Northern HSCT on 7th November 2024 and the Southern and Western HSCTs on 8th May 2025. Further information can be found at: https://dhcni.hscni.net/digital-portfolio/encompass/.
- Due to a change in the reporting of specialties on encompass, from 2023/24 the report contains two specialty tables. Volume 1a – Specialty contains data from the legacy system, where this specialty represents the main specialty of the leading consultant in charge of the patient’s care. Volume 1b – Specialty contains data from encompass, where this specialty represents what the patient is being treated for.
- Due to the fact the Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) codes used in encompass are derived from a different grouper, from 2023/24 the report contains two HRG tables. Volume 4a - Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) contains data from the legacy system while Volume 4b - Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) contains data from encompass.
4. About the data
- A consultant episode is the time a patient spends in the continuous care of one consultant. The episode can be finished because of discharge, death or transfer to another consultant. As a result, a patient may have more than one FCE during one admission to hospital (if transferred to the care of another consultant). In the legacy system, transfers to any other hospital would have created a new FCE. However, to date in encompass this is not split out for transfers between hospitals within the same HSC Trust. This will be amended for episodes ending after 1 April 2026 so a new FCE is once again created for all transfers to another hospital.
- Episode-based data is used to perform detailed analysis at diagnostic and procedure level, which may vary between each of the episodes that form an admission. Episode data is used to answer Assembly/Parliamentary questions, ad-hoc queries and for financial analysis. In addition, episode-based data in Northern Ireland can be compared with the equivalent Hospital Episode Statistics data published annually in England.
- Inpatient and day case episode data for all specialties within the acute services programme of care is collated monthly in the Hospital Inpatient System (HIS). This is sourced from both the Business Objects data warehouse Patient Administration System, and encompass (for South Eastern HSC Trust from 9th November 2023, Belfast HSC Trust from 6th June 2024, Northern HSC Trust from 7 November 2024 and both Southern and Western HSC Trusts from 8 May 2025). Each record within the HIS relates to an individual consultant episode and records details such as the date the patient was admitted, the diagnosis of the patient and any interventions/procedures the patient underwent.
- The total number of bed days has been calculated using the episode duration field within the Hospital Inpatient System; this is in contrast to the Northern Ireland Hospital Statistics: Inpatient and Day Case Activity Statistics (2025/26) publication, which uses bed occupancy data from the KH03a aggregate return, alongside total inpatient figures.
- All data published from 2008/09 excludes Independent Sector activity carried out within HSC Hospitals. HoPrior to this year, Independent Sector activity was included.
5. Definitions
- Finished Consultant Episode: A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a period spent by a patient under the care of one consultant. The episode can be finished because of discharge, death or transfer to another consultant or another hospital. As a result, a patient may have more than one FCE during one admission to hospital (if transferred to the care of another consultant). In the legacy system, transfers to any other hospital would have created a new FCE. However, to date in encompass this is not split out for transfers between hospitals within the same HSC Trust. This will be amended for episodes ending after 1 April 2026 so a new FCE is once again created for all transfers to another hospital.
- Admission: Admissions include both inpatient (elective and non-elective) and day case (including regular attender) activity. These are approximated using deaths and discharges and therefore recorded within the period where the discharge occurred. On the legacy system, transfers between any hospitals would have counted as a discharge and new admission. However, on encompass, this is no longer the case for transfers between hospitals within the same HSC Trust, where they are treated as one continuous admission.
6. This information was collated by Hospital Activity Information Branch, DoH.
7. Further information is available from:
Hospital Activity Information Branch,
Department of Health
Annexe 2, Castle Buildings,
Stormont, BT4 3SQ
Telephone: 028 90 522800
E-mail: statistics@health-ni.gov.uk
Internet https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/doh-statistics-and-research
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