In the United Kingdom, ADEs may account for 4% of hospital capacity at an estimated cost of EUR706 million each year. Safety lapses in primary/ambulatory care most often result in hospital admission -the most significant source of direct costs. Hospitalisation for five common chronic conditions27 that can be managed in the primary/ambulatory setting account for a substantial proportion of hospital resources. The headline figure is approximately 6% of all bed days across a panel of 27 OECD countries.