Health Research Board

The NPIRS database structure is used as the basis for carrying out decennial censuses of the inpatient population. The first census took place in 1963 and decennially thereafter in 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001. Due to the accelerated move to the provision of community psychiatric services, it was felt that an earlier appreciation of the impact of such changes on inpatient resident numbers and characteristics was needed. Accordingly, a census was carried out after an interval of five years in 2006.

The census recorded all patients resident at midnight on 31 March of the year in question in psychiatric hospitals, general hospital psychiatric units, private hospitals and children’s centres, operating under the provisions of the Mental Treatment Act 1945. All patients on the books in hospitals and units, including those on leave, were enumerated in the census.

To view the census publications please click here.

Data collected include demographic data relating to each patient, such as gender, date of birth, marital status, address from which admitted and socio-economic group, along with clinical and diagnostic information, such as date of admission, legal category on census night, order of admission, diagnosis on admission in accordance with the WHO International Classification of Diseases categories (ICD 10).