Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with urinary incontinence in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the NHS was of treating that condition in each such year.

The Department does not hold information on the number of people admitted to hospital for a catheter-associated urinary tract infection, urinary tract infection or urinary incontinence.

The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) in the last five years with a primary diagnosis of catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

The following table shows a count of FAEs in the last five years with a primary diagnosis of urinary incontinence in England.

The following table shows a count of FAEs in the last five years with a primary diagnosis of urinary tract infection in England

Source: Hospital episode statistics (HES), Health and social care information centre

Notes:

A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

The primary diagnosis provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.

The costs to the National Health Service of treating people with urinary tract infections and urinary incontinence is not available centrally.

Such information as is available is from reference costs, which are the average unit costs of providing defined services to patients. Reference costs for acute care are published by Healthcare Resource Group (HRG), which are standard groupings of similar treatments that use similar resources. For example, costs relating to kidney or urinary tract interventions are assigned to the same HRGs.

Table: Estimated total costs of kidney or urinary tract interventions and urinary incontinence or other urinary problems reported by NHS trusts and foundation trusts, 2010-11 to 2014-15 (£ millions)

Source: Reference costs, Department of Health