2 days ago
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The NHS is facing its “worst-case scenario” for flu cases this month across England, as the number of people in hospital with the illness increased by 55% in a week.
An average of 2,660 patients a day were in an NHS hospital bed with flu, up from 1,717 last week and the highest ever for this time of year. By comparison, in the same week last year the number of patients in hospital with flu stood at 1,861, compared with 402 in 2023.
Prof Meghana Pandit, the NHS national medical director, said the number of patients in hospital with flu was “extremely high for this time of year”.
“With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients,” Pandit said.
“NHS staff have pulled out all the stops to vaccinate more people than last year and, with just a week left to ensure maximum immunity from flu for Christmas Day, I would urge anyone eligible for the vaccine to please book an appointment or visit a walk-in site as soon as possible. Vaccination is the best protection against getting potentially very ill and it also helps protect those around you.”
The figures come as health experts said an NHS leader who stated that people with flu symptoms “must wear” a face mask risked causing “confusion” over what the public should do to help stop the spread of the virus.
Dr Francesca Cavallaro, a senior analytical manager at the Health Foundation, said the latest figures showed the NHS was beginning to “feel the first signs of winter”.
“These pressures expose the NHS’s fragile balancing act,” Cavallaro said. “The government’s recent budget provided no additional funding to help services maintain essential services and meet stretching performance targets, even as demands continue to rise. This leaves the NHS in a precarious financial position, a recipe for worsening patient care and stalled recovery.”
Alongside the increasing pressures the NHS is facing this flu season, demand for A&E services continues to rise. In November there was a record 2.35 million attendances – more than 30,000 higher than the same month last year. Ambulance activity also rose sharply, with 802,525 incidents recorded, an increase of 48,814 on 2023.
Weekly flu numbers in England peaked at 5,408 patients last winter and reached 5,441 over the winter of 2022-23.
