Quality statements
Statement 1 Adults diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia have a mortality risk assessment using CRB65 in primary care or CURB65 in hospital. [2016, updated 2025]
Statement 2 Adults presenting to hospital with suspected community-acquired or hospital-acquired pneumonia receive chest X‑ray followed by antibiotic treatment if a diagnosis of pneumonia is confirmed, both within 4 hours of presentation. [2016, updated 2025]
Statement 3 People with community-acquired or hospital-acquired pneumonia are initially prescribed antibiotic treatment for 5 days, or 3 days for children aged 3 months to 11 years with community-acquired pneumonia and non-severe symptoms. [2016, updated 2025]
Statement 4 People with community-acquired pneumonia are given information on expected recovery timescales and when to seek further medical advice. [new 2025]
In 2025 this quality standard was updated and statements prioritised in 2016 were updated (2016, updated 2025) or replaced (new 2025). For more information, see update information.
The previous version of the quality standard for pneumonia in adults is available as a pdf.