Tell us how you have been affected by the winter flu crisis in England

Ambulances outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, as a number of NHS trusts in England have declared critical incidents. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA

The rise in people with flu being admitted to hospital in England quadrupled last month with at least a dozen hospitals declaring critical incidents. Other pressures on the NHS include Covid, norovirus and chronic issues such as a lack of available beds.

Health services issue critical incident declarations when their services become so overwhelmed they struggle to deliver critical services, risking patient safety. Hospitals in Birmingham, Cornwall, Hampshire, Liverpool, Northamptonshire and Plymouth are among those affected.