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Data Element Detail

Available bed
Identifying and Definitional Attributes
QH 040260 v1
Data Element
Data Element Concept
Current
15-Jan-1998
Standard
01-Jul-1993
A bed is 'available' if (on the last Wednesday of the reference month) it is immediately available for use by an admitted patient. The bed must be located in a suitable place for patient care, and there are nursing and auxiliary staff available, or who could be made available within a reasonable period (within 24 hours), to service patients who might occupy them.
Reporting of activity data from health facilities
Representational Attributes
Permissible Values

Permissible_values

-
Supplementary Values

Supplemenary_values

-
Collection and Usage Attributes
A bed is 'temporarily unavailable', if (on the last Wednesday of the reference month) it is not immediately available for use because of renovations, strikes, staff shortages etc, and there is a planned date for making the bed available. A bed that is not available for use and there is no planned date for making it available for use, is a 'closed' bed and it is not to be reported on MAC.

A bed does not include a surgical table, recovery trolley, discharge lounge bed/chair for a patient who has been formally discharged, medi-hotel bed, non-special care neonatal cot, hospital in the home bed, or a bed used exclusively or predominantly for a non-admitted patient. These items should not be reported in section 1 of the BA form.

A bed located in a hospital's delivery suite should normally not be reported unless the predominant practice at the hospital is for the mother to be admitted to the delivery bed, give birth in the delivery bed, and be formally discharged from the delivery bed. That is, the predominant practice at the hospital is not to transfer the mother to a maternity bed following delivery, and formally discharge the mother from a maternity bed.

A bed located in a birth centre attached to a hospital should normally be reported, as it is assumed that the predominant practice at the birth centre is for the mother to be admitted to the birth centre, give birth in the birth centre, and be formally discharged from the birth centre.
Inclusions: both occupied and unoccupied beds. Exclusions: surgical trolleys, recovery trolleys, delivery beds, cots for normal neonates, emergency stretchers / beds not normally authorised or funded and beds designated for non-admitted patient care. Beds in wards that were closed for any reason (except weekend closures for beds / wards staffed and available week days only) are also excluded.
Relational Attributes
Related Metadata References

Related Metadata References_IR

  • 1 - 3
ViewRelationshipMetadata Item TypeMetadata Item SubtypeNameIdentifier & VersionApproval Status
Relates toData ElementData Element ConceptAvailable bed alternativeQH 040261 Version 1Current
Relates toData ElementDerived Data ElementNumber of available bed daysQH 040239 Version 1Retired
Relates toData ElementDerived Data ElementNumber of available beds for admitted patientsQH 040237 Version 1Superseded
Implementation in Metadata Sets

Implemented

  • 1 - 2
ViewMetadata Item TypeMetadata Item SubtypeNameIdentifer & VersionObligationApproval StatusEffective FromEffective To
Information AssetData CollectionMonthly Activity Collection (MAC)QH 020008 Version 2Current01-Jul-201930-Jun-2022
Information AssetData CollectionMonthly Activity Collection (MAC)QH 020008 Version 1Superseded01-Jul-199330-Jun-2019
Source and Reference Attributes