Hospital Stay Durations in the UK:: PLAB 2 Guide

Ann Augustin
Aug 18
2 min read

Updated: Aug 19

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In the UK, the length of a hospital stay varies a lot depending on the condition, the type of surgery or treatment, and the patient’s overall health. Broadly, we can break this down into medical admissions and surgical admissions.

1. Medical Admissions (Non-surgical conditions)

Minor conditions (e.g. asthma attack, mild infections, dehydration):Usually 1–3 days for stabilization and monitoring.
Moderate conditions (e.g. pneumonia, severe cellulitis, diabetic ketoacidosis):Typically 3–7 days depending on response to treatment.
Chronic conditions or complex needs (e.g. heart failure exacerbation, stroke, sepsis):Often 5–14 days or more, with some requiring rehabilitation or step-down care.

2. Surgical Admissions

Surgery can be grouped into day case, short-stay, and long-stay:

a) Day Surgery (Ambulatory / Same-day discharge)

Most laparoscopic procedures: hernia repair, cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), appendectomy (uncomplicated), hysteroscopy.
Minor orthopaedic procedures: arthroscopy.
Ophthalmology: cataract surgery.
ENT: tonsillectomy (often overnight for observation in children).

👉 Stay: discharge on the same day or within 23 hours.

b) Short-Stay Surgery (1–5 days)

General Surgery: bowel resection (uncomplicated), laparoscopic colectomy, more complex appendectomy.
Orthopaedics: hip/knee replacement (usually 3–5 days, now sometimes 1–3 days with enhanced recovery programmes).
Gynaecology: hysterectomy (laparoscopic or abdominal) – 2–5 days.
Urology: prostate surgery (e.g. TURP) – 2–4 days.

c) Long-Stay Surgery (>5–7 days)

Major abdominal surgery: open colectomy, pancreatic surgery, oesophagectomy.
Major cardiac surgery: coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve replacement (7–14 days, longer if complications).
Major neurosurgery: craniotomy, spinal fusion (5–10 days).
Complicated trauma/orthopaedics: pelvic fracture fixation, polytrauma – can extend to weeks.
Transplants: kidney (7–10 days), liver (2–3 weeks), heart/lung (3–4 weeks or more).

3. Critical Care & Special Units

ICU/HDU stays: Patients requiring ventilation, post-major surgery monitoring, or sepsis care may spend days–weeks.
Neonatal Intensive Care: premature babies may stay weeks to months depending on gestation.
Rehabilitation Units: Stroke, spinal injury, or neuro-rehab patients often stay weeks to months after acute care.

4. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Programmes

In the NHS, ERAS protocols have shortened many hospital stays:

Hip/knee replacement: often 1–3 days (used to be 7–10 days).
Colorectal surgery: reduced to 3–5 days.
C-section: often 1–2 days if uncomplicated.

Summary Table

Type of Admission	Example Conditions/Surgeries	Typical Stay
Medical (minor)	Asthma attack, UTI, dehydration	1–3 days
Medical (moderate)	Pneumonia, DKA, cellulitis	3–7 days
Medical (complex)	Stroke, heart failure, sepsis	5–14+ days
Day Surgery	Hernia repair, cataract, lap cholecystectomy	Same day
Short-Stay Surgery	Hip/knee replacement, hysterectomy, TURP	2–5 days
Long-Stay Surgery	CABG, colectomy, transplant, neurosurgery	7–21+ days
Critical/ICU	Major sepsis, post-transplant, trauma	Variable