A 20‐year observational cohort of a 5 million patient population—Tonsillectomy rates in the context of two national policy changes

Abstract

There has been a significant decrease in tonsillectomy rates over the past two decades. Over the same time period, there has been a significant increase in admissions to secondary care with tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess and deep neck space infection. These changes have happened in the context of two separate national policies being introduced-Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) guidelines for management of sore throat and the Scottish Reduction in Antibiotic Prescribing.