Table 1 Baseline data

Ward-level baseline data:

Ward-level readmission rates

Number of patients discharged by participating ward and the total number of 30-day readmissions to any ward in the hospital trust. Collected for the 12-month period of 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). Data will be reported on a monthly basis and will be dichotomised by age (< 75 years and ≥75 years).

Average length of stay

Collected for the 12-month period of 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). Data will be reported on a monthly basis and will be dichotomised by age (< 75 years and ≥75 years).

Age of patients

Median and mean ages of patients. Data collected for the 12-month period of 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic) and reported on a monthly basis.

Individual level baseline data:

Patient demographics

Age; gender; ethnicity; first language; living/carer arrangements.

EuroQol 5-Dimension Health Questionnaire (5 levels) (EQ5D-5L) and Proxy EQ5D-5L [37]

A measure of health state (quality of life) comprising five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Scores can be used to facilitate the calculation of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).

Functional Co-morbidity Index [41]

A sum of 18 self-reported comorbid conditions with a score of 0 to 18. A higher FCI score indicates greater comorbidity and is associated with impairment in physical function 1 year later,

Admission information

Date of index admission and discharge; type of index admission (planned/unplanned); reason for index admission; number of admissions in previous 12 months.