The number of patients with flu is more than three times higher than this time last year and on par with early 2023 – one of the worst flu seasons for many years…reports Asian Lite News
The pressures in accident-and-emergency units are as bad as during the Covid pandemic, NHS bosses say. With flu cases continuing to rise and the cold weather, NHS England medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis said, hospitals were under “exceptional pressure” and facing “mammoth demand”.
And some staff were saying the strain being placed on them felt “like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic”. It comes as flu cases have continued to rise, with the average number of patients with the virus in hospital in England topping 5,400 a day last week – about 1,000 higher than a week before.
Average flu cases in acute hospitals in England have reached 5,408 in the first week of January, up from 4,469 the previous week and almost at the peak of the last bad flu year in 2022-23. Stephen said: “It is hard to quantify how tough it is for front-line staff at the moment – with some staff working in A&E saying that their days at work feel like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic.”
The number of patients with flu is more than three times higher than this time last year and on par with early 2023 – one of the worst flu seasons for many years.
Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents health managers, said the combination of cold weather and flu had meant a “brutal” start to the new year.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said.
“Things are likely to get worse before they get better. Stresses and strains on emergency services are a huge concern, with many patients facing long waits for ambulances and in A&Es.”
Dr Tim Cooksley, of of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the NHS was experiencing an “appalling” winter crisis. “The reality for patients and staff is corridors full of patients experiencing degrading care, being treated in the backs of ambulances because there is simply no space in hospital and the immense physical and emotional harm that inevitably results,” he said.
“The fundamental issue is that there is a continued lack of capacity throughout the year – a tough flu season must not be used as a political excuse for the current situation.”
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