Written question WQ95456

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, information on admissions was collected to support transparency and understanding of NHS activity and capacity through a daily situational report (SITREP). This was the commonly used dataset on COVID-19 admissions during the pandemic. These data were published on StatsWales by the Welsh Government (https://statswales.gov.wales/v/Qt6Q) until the SITREP was stopped in July 2023.

The Public Health Wales (PHW) ICNET data published on the PHW acute respiratory infection surveillance dashboard is now the commonly used data source for COVID-19 hospital admissions. The number of community-acquired cases admitted to hospital from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area can be found here. This is a consistent data source covering the period 1 March 2020 to 12 January 2025.

There are differences between the two datasets, meaning the figures are not directly comparable. The PHW ICNET data includes patients admitted with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test who have at least one overnight stay in hospital. The SITREP reported all COVID-19 related admissions – that is, patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Since the criteria for the SITREP were broader than for PHW ICNET, SITREP figures were likely to be larger for the same periods. The PHW ICNET dashboard provides weekly data for hospital admissions, whereas the SITREP collected daily data up to February 2023 and weekly data thereafter.