A new study by personal injury lawyers at claims.co.uk analysed NHS bed occupancy rates to reveal the most stretched hospital trusts across the United Kingdom. The study examined data from NHS England to determine which trusts are operating closest to full capacity. The data looks at the average daily number of available and occupied beds open overnight by each trust between October and December 2024.

The analysis shows that North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust ranks as the most occupied in the country, with a staggering 99.5% bed occupancy rate. This means that of their 472 available beds, 469 were occupied during the period studied, leaving just three beds available on average. The general and acute specialist unit took up the most space, with 89.5% of beds occupied.

NHS Trusts with Highest Bed Occupancy Rates (October-December 2024)

Rank
NHS Trust
Total Beds Available
Total Beds Occupied
Occupancy Rate
1.
North Middlesex University Hospital
472
469
99.5%
2.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals
1,063
1,056
99.3%
3.
George Eliot Hospital
426
420
98.6%
4.
University Hospitals Birmingham
2,881
2,828
98.2%
5.
Gateshead Health
489
480
98.1%
6.
Central and North West London
695
680
97.8%
7.
Wye Valley
306
298
97.1%
8.
Pennine Care
490
473
96.5%
9.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
865
834
96.4%
10.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn
504
485
96.2%
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust follows closely in second place with a 99.3% occupancy rate. The trust, which maintains 1,063 beds across its facilities, had 1,056 occupied on average. All beds dedicated to the maternity ward were occupied during this period.

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in Nuneaton ranks third, with 98.6% of its 426 beds occupied. The data reveals that all 23 of its maternity beds were consistently full during the period analysed.

In fourth is the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, reporting a 98.2% occupancy rate across its 2,881 beds. This large trust had just 53 beds available on average during the study period, with the majority taken up by the general and acute unit.

Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust completes the top five with 98.1% of its 489 beds occupied. The trust shows a concerning trend with 100% of its general and acute beds constantly in use, a total of 447 out of the 489.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust ranks sixth with a 97.8% occupancy rate. This mental health-focused trust had particularly high occupancy in its mental illness beds at 98.6%, with 601 beds occupied in this specialty.

Wye Valley NHS Trust in Herefordshire takes seventh place with 97.1% of its 306 beds occupied. Like Gateshead, it reported 100% occupancy of its general and acute beds.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, which specializes in mental health services, ranks eighth with 96.5% of its 490 beds occupied. All the trust’s beds are devoted to mental illness patients.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust appears in ninth place with 96.4% of its 865 beds occupied. The London-based trust maintained particularly high occupancy in its general and acute beds at 98.5%.

Completing the top ten is The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust, with 96.2% of its 504 beds occupied. The trust had 97.3% of its general and acute beds in use during the study period.