Admissions for young people due to substance misuse - ICP Outcomes Framework - Birmingham and Solihull

This dataset reports the rate of hospital admissions among young people aged 15 to 24 due to substance misuse. It captures the burden of acute and chronic health issues related to the use of drugs, alcohol, and other psychoactive substances, providing valuable insight into youth mental health and substance-related harm across local authorities in England and Wales.

Rationale

Reducing hospital admissions due to substance misuse in young people is a public health priority. High admission rates may reflect increased prevalence of substance use, lack of access to early intervention services, or broader social and mental health challenges. Monitoring this indicator helps inform targeted prevention and treatment strategies.

Numerator

The numerator includes hospital admissions where the primary diagnosis is a mental or behavioural disorder due to substance use (ICD-10 codes F11–F19), poisoning by narcotics or psychotropic substances (T40, T52, T59, T43.6), or external causes of poisoning (Y12, Y16, Y19). These data are sourced from the Secondary Uses Service (SUS).

Denominator

The denominator is the estimated resident population aged 15 to 24 years, based on mid-year population estimates from the 2021 Census for local authorities in England and Wales.

Caveats

The data reflect episodes of admission rather than individual patients, meaning repeat admissions by the same person are counted multiple times. Additionally, hospital admission rates may be influenced by local differences in referral and admission practices, not solely by the prevalence of substance misuse.

External References

Fingertips Public Health Profiles – Substance Misuse Admissions (15–24 years)

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