Rising Flu Cases Pile Pressure on NHS Hospital Services
Flu levels across England continue to rise sharply, with hospitals recording nearly 3,150 patients in beds with the virus each day last week – an 18% increase from the previous week’s figure of 2,660.
The latest NHS England urgent and emergency care data reveals mounting pressure on acute services, with bed occupancy hovering around 95%, significantly above levels considered safe for effective patient care.
Norovirus outbreaks are also contributing to the strain, forcing an average of 537 adult beds to close daily last week due to patients presenting with norovirus-like symptoms, up from 446 beds the week before.
Healthcare workforce pressures are intensifying, with more than 54,000 NHS staff members absent each day last week owing to sickness or self-isolation – an increase from 52,234 the previous week.
However, there are some positive signs. Overall virus-related bed closures and occupancy remain lower than the same period last year, with an average of 4,576 beds affected by Covid-19, flu, norovirus and paediatric RSV last week, compared to 4,897 last year.
Ambulance handover delays have also improved, with 27.6% of handovers taking longer than 30 minutes, down from 31.9% the week before.
Despite these improvements, delayed discharges continue to pose significant challenges for the health and care system. Last week saw 12,727 hospital beds occupied daily by patients who no longer met the criteria to remain in hospital – only marginally down from 12,954 the previous week.
Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, warned that the service faces a prolonged period of difficulty.
“Pressure continues to mount on NHS services, with seasonal viruses like flu and norovirus increasing and bed occupancy remaining around 95% – well above safe levels,” he said.
Mr Deighton acknowledged that NHS staff are working extremely hard to maintain patient safety, but cautioned that rising flu levels and increased staff sickness will likely result in longer waits and cancelled appointments.
“We are only in the early stages of what NHS leaders know is going to be a long and difficult winter,” he said. “We do not yet know when or at what level flu will peak.”
He welcomed the improvement in vaccine uptake this year but urged eligible individuals to get vaccinated against flu, Covid-19 and RSV to protect themselves during the winter months.
