Routine statistics of hospital care are conventionally based on episodes of care. Thus, whilst statistics on lengths of stay per episode of hospital care are readily available, information is not routinely collected on the total time spent in hospital by individuals who experience several episodes of care. This paper presents data from the Oxford Record Linkage Study which was used to calculate the total length of time spent in hospital by children in each year from 1975-84. The findings of this study provide reassurance that, despite the increase in admission rates in childhood during this period, the total length of time children spend in hospital has generally declined.