Key Summary
- Flu cases have dipped slightly, but hospitals are still under heavy strain
- Vaccines and faster responses are helping, yet beds remain almost full
- Cold weather and other viruses mean the NHS isn’t out of the woods yet
There has been a marginal fall in flu cases, but England’s top doctor has warned that the NHS is “not out of danger yet”.
Hospital cases still surpassed 3,000 in the week before Christmas, a slight fall on the week before, according to new figures published on Wednesday (31).
They continue to be under pressure, with 95 per cent of adult beds filled and 94,118 patients daily.
The ramping up of flu vaccination by the NHS has helped in steadying the number of cases.
The NHS has vaccinated 18.5 million people this year, nearly half a million more people than in the same week last year.
Improvement in ambulance handovers, and prompt response to NHS 111 calls have also helped improve overall NHS performance.
However, other winter viruses such as Covid and Norovirus continue to remain active.
With the UKHSA issuing amber and yellow cold health alerts for England, temperatures in many parts of the country are set to drop below freezing which could increase pressure on hospitals.
NHS national medical director Meghana Pandit said, “While there are signs of improvement and the NHS is in calmer waters, pressures on hospitals remain incredibly high and we’re not out of danger yet with temperatures set to drop in the coming days.”
NHS Confederation’s acute and community care director Rory Deighton said, “There are also thousands of patients stuck in hospital beds despite being medically well enough to go home, in part due to a lack of community and social care.
“This can create bottlenecks in hospitals, leaving ambulances unable to handover their patients to A&E promptly, emergency departments struggling to find ward beds for patients and having to rely on caring for their patients in corridors and other inappropriate settings, and non-urgent inpatient care then being disrupted.”
Health secretary Wes Streeting said, “This year we planned earlier than ever for winter, and that preparation is paying off.”
“By modernising the NHS - with strong clinical leadership, embracing digital tools and putting more power in the hands of local leaders - ambulance handover times are down on last year and more patients are getting the care they need, when they need it.”
