Ward & Bed Management

Hospital & IPD

Ward & Bed Management

Use this page to set up hospital wards, see which beds are free or in use, and track bed occupancy.

Ward & Bed Management illustration

How to find this page

  1. 1

    Sign in to EliteHMS

  2. 2

    Choose Ward & Beds from the left-hand menu

Ward & Beds option in the left-hand menu
Ward & Beds in the left-hand menu

Note:The page is available to users whose plan includes ward and bed management.

What this page is for

Use this page to set up hospital wards, see which beds are free or in use, and track bed occupancy. Each ward has its own group of beds.

The figures shown are for the active location.

Tip:If the page shows 0 total beds and No wards created yet, no wards have been set up for that location yet. Start with Add Ward or Add First Ward.

Create a ward

  1. 1

    Select Add Ward

  2. 2

    Enter a clear Ward Name

    For example, “General Ward A” or “ICU”.

  3. 3

    Choose the Ward Type and enter its Floor if useful

  4. 4

    Enter Total Beds

    The form allows 1–200 beds.

  5. 5

    Optionally enter a Bed Number Prefix

    For example, A- or ICU-. The preview shows the numbers the system will create.

  6. 6

    Check the name, type, floor, and bed count, then select Create Ward

Add Ward form with name, type, floor, total beds, and bed number prefix
The Add Ward form

Note:New beds start with the Available status.

Tip:Choose names and prefixes that staff can recognize easily. Confirm the bed count and numbering before creating the ward.

Understand the overview cards

  • Total Beds: All beds set up across the active location’s wards.
  • Occupied: Beds currently assigned to admitted patients.
  • Available: Beds ready to be assigned.
  • Cleaning: Beds marked for cleaning, including after a patient is discharged.
  • Maintenance: Beds that should not be used while they need repair or service.
  • Occupancy Rate: The percentage of all beds currently occupied.
Ward and bed overview cards
Overview cards at the top of the page

The rate is calculated as occupied beds divided by total beds. A ward’s small occupancy bar shows the same kind of information for that ward.

Choose a ward and review its beds

After wards exist, select one from the Wards list on the left side of the page. The selected ward shows its type, floor, beds, and occupancy.

Use the status filters to show all beds or only beds with a particular status. A filter appears when there are beds in that status.

Wards list and the beds of the selected ward
A ward’s beds with status filters

Bed statuses mean:

  • Available: Ready for a patient.
  • Occupied: Assigned to a currently admitted patient.
  • Cleaning: Needs cleaning before it can be used again.
  • Maintenance: Not ready for use because it needs repair or service.
  • Reserved: Held aside and not currently available for general assignment.

Admit a patient to a bed

  1. 1

    Select an Available bed and choose its admit action

  2. 2

    Search for and select the registered patient

    If the patient is not registered yet, add them from Patients first.

  3. 3

    Check that the selected patient is the correct person

  4. 4

    Optionally enter the Assigned Doctor, Expected Discharge date, and Admission Notes

  5. 5

    Select Admit Patient

Admit Patient form with patient, doctor, expected discharge, and notes
The Admit Patient form

Warning:The notes field can record relevant admission details for staff. Enter only information your facility is permitted to store and share.

Note:A patient should not be assigned to a bed already marked Occupied or Maintenance. The system also checks that the patient is not already admitted to another bed at the same location.

Discharge a patient and prepare the bed

  1. 1

    Use the bed’s discharge action when the patient is leaving

  2. 2

    Confirm

    The system clears the patient details and changes the bed to Cleaning.

  3. 3

    After staff have cleaned and checked the bed, change its status to Available

Note:This keeps a recently used bed from appearing ready before the cleaning step is complete.

Change a bed’s status

For a bed that is not occupied, use its status action to mark it Available, Cleaning, Maintenance, or Reserved, as appropriate. After the work is complete, update the status again, for example from Maintenance to Available.

Warning:An occupied bed must be discharged before its status can be changed.

Use the occupancy report

Select Report to view overall bed totals and a breakdown for each ward. The report can also show occupied-bed details, such as the patient, assigned doctor, time admitted, and expected discharge date. It flags patients whose expected discharge date has passed.

Occupancy report with a breakdown for each ward
The occupancy report

Tip:Use Refresh to reload the ward and bed information if another staff member has updated it.

Updating or removing a ward

The screen shown does not provide a visible ward-edit or bed-count adjustment control. If ward details or capacity need changing, check with your EliteHMS administrator or support team before making changes.

Warning:Do not remove a ward while it has occupied beds; patients must be discharged first.

Billing and payment information

This page manages wards, beds, and occupancy. It does not show ward charges, patient invoices, or payment collection. Use Billing & Invoices for invoice and payment records, and follow your facility’s process for recording accommodation charges.

Helpful terms

  • Occupancy: How many beds are in use.
  • Occupancy rate: The percentage of configured beds that are occupied.
  • Admit: Record that a patient is staying in a bed.
  • Discharge: Record that the patient has left the bed.
  • Reserved: Kept aside for a planned use.