A rise in flu cases is causing major problems for NHS hospitals in England, with more people being admitted to intensive care amid warnings that the festivities will worsen the situation.
NHS England said on Thursday the service was struggling to cope with a “flood” of flu patients who arrived unusually early and left more than 2,500 patients requiring hospital treatment. .
Last week, 125 people were admitted to critical care with the flu, nearly double the 66 people who received life-threatening treatment due to the virus the week before.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England's national medical director, said: “The NHS has been hit hard by the early flu outbreak, increasing pressure on staff to prepare for the long winter ahead.”
of Latest “winter sitreps” dataA paper published Thursday shows that hospitals are already reeling from what Powis calls an “influx of early-season flu patients.”
Almost 5,000 hospital beds in the UK were full or closed last week as a result of a “quademic” of seasonal diseases. There were 2,629 beds for influenza, 1,274 beds for the new coronavirus, 711 beds for norovirus that causes diarrhea and vomiting, and 127 beds for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). .
Mr Powis warned that worse was to come, adding: “As children leave school and friends and families gather over the Christmas period, we expect the virus to continue to spread.”
He advised people who have not yet received a flu shot to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and those who are seriously ill to think twice about seeing loved ones.
Nursing leaders say hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed.
Patricia Marquis, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “As people prepare for celebrations, nursing staff are struggling to continue their service and what will happen in the coming weeks. I'm very worried about that,” he said.
“NHS beds are full and A&E faces increasing pressure, while rising numbers of flu cases threaten to overwhelm an NHS and workforce already in crisis.”
NHS trusted hospitals in Hampshire illustrate the challenges facing the NHS ahead of the coldest period of the year. declared a major incident on monday. The company said its hospitals in Basingstoke and Winchester do not have enough space to accommodate more patients and cannot cope with the high demand for treatment.
The trust said both hospitals were full and A&E departments were dealing with a huge number of patients arriving. The problem is exacerbated by the “large number of patients with infectious diseases who require isolation” and the unavailability of beds, which are occupied by people who are medically able to leave the hospital but cannot, the report said. the book added.
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Rory Deighton, acute care director at the NHS Confederation, which represents healthcare providers, said: “Influenza levels are rising at an alarming rate and other viruses are circulating at high levels as well.” Ta.
“The impact of these winter viruses on hospitals should not be underestimated, with staff having to close wards and bays to stop the spread of infection and carry out deep cleaning. , which can have a significant impact on the capacity of a very congested system.”
Ambulance services are also under severe strain. Last week, 34.5% of patients trapped in ambulances outside hospitals after calling 999 had to wait at least 30 minutes before being handed over to A&E staff, and 14.3% were delayed by at least an hour, according to Citreps. Shown in data.
“Winter illnesses such as norovirus and influenza are arriving earlier than last year,” said Daniel Jeffries, senior analyst at the King's Fund think tank. It looks like it's going to be a tough winter for the NHS, especially for patients. ”
It added that long delays in ambulance handovers mean people who call 999 with a medical emergency have to wait for a response.
