"Figures show that the average number of patients in hospital beds in England with flu last week hit 2,924 - a rise of 9% on the previous week. This comes after two weeks of decreasing numbers, prompting hope flu cases may have peaked. NHS England medical director Prof Meghana Pandit said a combination of the vicious cold snap and winter viruses was making services "extremely busy"."
"While flu cases have gone up, they are still well below the peak of last year which exceeded 5,000. As well as flu, the number of patients in hospital with Covid and the vomiting bug norovirus have also increased. Sarah Woolnough, of The King's Fund health tank, said despite signs the NHS was coping better than in previous years the pressures being experience were still not sustainable and were not allowing service to provide the "best possible outcomes for patients"."
Christmas and New Year gatherings and a severe cold snap have coincided with a rebound in flu and other winter viruses. The average number of patients in hospital beds in England with flu reached 2,924 last week, a 9% increase from the previous week after two weeks of decline. Hospitals report more injuries from slips and falls and increased respiratory cases. Ambulance handover delays were lower over Christmas than the year before. Flu remains well below last winter's peak of over 5,000, but Covid and norovirus hospitalisations have risen. Pressures on services are described as unsustainable, with warnings that corridor care is becoming normalised.
Read at www.bbc.com
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