A Ward Stay is an ACTIVITY GROUP.

A Ward Stay is the time a PATIENT, using a Hospital Bed and/or using a delivery facility, stays in one WARD.

Each Ward Stay is within only one Hospital Provider Spell.

When a PATIENT takes Home Leave, Mental Health Leave of Absence or has a current period of Mental Health Absence Without Leave, this should be recorded as a WARD transfer and a new Ward Stay should begin on return.

PATIENTS using maternity WARDS of the same type on the same site, these should be recorded as one WARD. There will therefore only be one Ward Stay rather than transfers between WARDS. For local purposes, however, such transfers may be identified.

For each Ward Stay there should be a named NURSE or MIDWIFE who is responsible for the nursing or midwifery care of the PATIENT. If the named NURSE or MIDWIFE changes, the change is recorded.

For Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS), the Ward Stay remains uninterrupted when a PATIENT leaves the WARD for Home Leave, Mental Health Leave of Absence, Mental Health Absence Without Leave or Mental Health Trial Leave, unless the absence continues for more than 28 days.

This supporting information is also known by these names:

Context	Alias
plural	Ward Stays