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The number of flu patients in England’s hospitals has more than tripled a year ago due to “mammoth demand” on wards.
NHS figures released on Thursday showed there were 5,111 flu cases in hospitals on Sunday, up from 5,074 the previous week, more than three times the 1,523 for the same date last year.
It comes as more hospitals have declared or continued to be critical incidents, the highest level of NHS alert, as respiratory cases rise overcrowded accident and emergency services.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “It is clear that hospitals are under extraordinary pressure at the start of this new year, with high demand arising from the ongoing cold weather and respiratory viruses such as flu – all on the back of 2024. 2018 as the busiest year on record for ambulance and ambulance teams.
“I have never been more impressed with the outstanding job that NHS staff across a range of services are dealing with the current challenges, remaining compassionate, professional and doing everything they can to see patients as quickly as possible, often working in overcrowded hospitals. until shooting.
“It’s hard to quantify from data alone how difficult it is for frontline staff at the moment – with some A&E staff saying their days at work are looking like some of the days we had at the height of the pandemic.
NHS figures show that the number of people needing hospital treatment for flu started to rise in late November.
In the week ending January 5, there were an average of 5,408 patients in hospital each day, including 256 in critical care, up from an average of 4,469 a day the week before and more than four times average from November.
The week ended with 5,111 flu patients in hospital on Sunday.
Last week’s peak was on Friday when 5,657 patients were hospitalized with the flu, the highest number this winter. Current figures show an increase of 168 percent month-on-month.
The weekly numbers, however, remain in line with the 2022/23 winter flu crisis, which averaged 5,281 patients in that same week.
In recent days, hospitals in Northamptonshire, Cornwall, Liverpool, Hampshire, Birmingham, Plymouth and the Wirral have declared critical incidents.
The University of South Warwickshire NHS Foundation declared a critical incident on Wednesday, with a statement on its website saying attendances at Warwick Hospital’s emergency department over the past week “were consistently among the highest” ever experienced.
NHS Gloucestershire has also declared a critical incident, with emergency monitoring active on the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website warning patients that the average time spent in the emergency department at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital is 13 hours.
And Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust declared a critical incident on Wednesday, with the trust seeing “unprecedented demand” on A&E services this week and a “large number” of flu cases, a spokesman said.
Health Minister Wes Streeting said: “Over the past six months we have ended the junior doctors’ strikes, so staff are on the front line and not on the picket line for the first winter in three years, and we have introduced a new RSV vaccine. But despite the best efforts of staff, patients continue to receive unacceptable standards of care.
“Although the winter campaign vaccinated more people than last winter, this strain of flu hit hard, bringing more than three times as many patients to hospital compared to this time last year.
“Annual winter pressures should not mean an annual winter crisis, which is why this government is investing significantly in the NHS, undertaking fundamental reform and acting now to improve social care. It will take time to turn the NHS around, but the fact that waiting lists are now falling shows that change is possible.”