First, more patients than ever are being treated as out-patients or day patients.
Could not that number be further improved if only the best practice in treating day patients were applied universally?
The median number of days as a day patient was 20.
Information on numbers of day patient places, opened is not centrally available.
Recommendations for after-care other than as outpatient or day patient are referred to the family doctor or local authority social services department.
Drug addicts are normally referred to consultant psychiatrists who see, assess, treat and rehabilitate them on an outpatient or day patient basis.
There were also 253,499 private out-patient attendances and 2,067 regular day patient attendances.
The hospital said that it hoped that the situation would stabilise and that she would remain as a day patient.
