The hospital became the embodiment of the modern health care system for many people. However, in many countries the role of hospital emergency is being reviewed – the focus is being transferred to the outpatient diagnosis and treatment instead of the long-term in-patient care. This leads to a reduction in hospital beds. In different countries, their number is markedly different. In addition, hospital care is relatively expensive; it is an economic incentive to reduce hospital capacity. That is why we are interested in the experience of countries where there has been a decrease in the number of beds and the impact of such reductions on various parties. The article describes the changes in the number of beds in Europe in recent years and gives possible explanations for these changes.