Hospitals in England are battling a “tidal wave” of flu as admissions increased by more than two-thirds in seven days, new data shows.
The number of hospital beds occupied by patients with the flu hit an average of 1,861 a day last week - up 70 per cent on the week before and four times higher than last year when the total stood at 402 patients.
Norovirus cases were also up 10 per cent compared to the week prior, with an average of 837 patients in hospital beds- up 64 per cent on 2023. This time last year there were an average of 511 patients a day in hospital with the vomiting bug and 390 in 2022.
NHS England has warned services “tidal wave” of infections and is bracing for a “quad-demic” of bugs this winter, with the increase in cases of flu, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and expected increases of Covid-19.
Health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, also urged people eligible for free vaccinations on the NHS to take them “before it’s too late”.
“With A&Es facing record demand, we are continuing to encourage people to protect themselves, their family, and the NHS by getting vaccinated before it’s too late,” he said.
The figures have been published in the latest weekly snapshot of the performance of hospitals in England this winter.
The report also shows 16.3 per cent of patients,or 14,672 patients, were waiting in ambulances for more than an hour to be handed over to hospitals last week- almost unchanged on the previous week and higher than this point in 2023 when it was 15.2 per cent.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said: “The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is really concerning for patients and for the NHS – the figures are adding to our ‘quad-demic’ worries.
“While the NHS has plans in place to manage additional demand over the busy winter period, with one week left to book your vaccine, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting booked in to protect yourself against serious illness and to avoid ‘festive flu’.”
Meanwhile, figures for the NHS’ waiting list for routine treatment show the backlog had dropped to its lowest levels for seven months in October at 7.54 million - down from 7.57 million at the end of September.
This is the lowest figure since March 2024.
The number of patients waiting for treatments was unchanged month-on-month, at 6.34 million.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “plan for change” pledges that by July 2029, 92 per cent of patients will be seen within 18 weeks for pre-planned care such as hip and knee replacements
But leading surgeons have called on the Government to provide more detail on how the health service in England will meet the 18-week target for waiting times within this Parliament amid growing winter pressures.
Professor Frank Smith, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “Winter is always a difficult time for the NHS and hospital leaders are already warning this could be one of the worst the NHS has faced. This will have a knock-on effect for planned operations.
“While waiting lists are reducing, they are not coming down fast enough to guarantee the Government will meet its milestone on the 18-week target within this Parliament. We need a clear road map, which outlines annual targets for reducing waits of over a year and the total waiting list.”
There was also a decrease in the number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England from a decision to admit to actually being admitted at 45,791 in November - down from 49,592 in October.
The record high for a calendar month is 54,573, which occurred in December 2022.
The number waiting at least four hours from the decision to admit to admission also fell, standing at 140,782 in November, down from 148,789 in October.
Some 72.1 per cent of patients in England were seen within four hours in A&Es last month, down from 73.0 per cent in October.
The NHS recovery plan set a target of March this year for 76 per cent of patients attending A&E to be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.
A further target of 78 per cent has been set for March 2025.
