NHS flu crisis: Doctors warn that severe cold and spike in infections could be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ for crisis-hit health services – nine hospitals declared critical incident

More than a dozen hospitals have declared “major incidents” as the influenza epidemic worsens.

Health leaders last night warned that the NHS was facing “extraordinarily high demand”, with the number of infections already at around double the peak of last year.

About 5,000 beds per day are occupied by virus patients, and authorities expect the crisis to deepen this week as children return to school after the Christmas break.

Patients were forced to wait up to 50 hours in A&E before finally being admitted to a ward.

And ambulances have queues of up to 18 people outside the hospital, forcing people to wait hours to drop off arriving patients, making it impossible for them to respond to other 999 calls.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged improvements and admitted he was “heartbroken and ashamed” by the condition Brits were in.

Meanwhile, some medical workers have been ordered to resume wearing masks to stop the spread of infection, and hospitals have tightened restrictions on visitors.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, urged eligible patients to get the flu vaccine.

He said vulnerable people and those with respiratory illnesses should “keep warm” and stock up on medicines before temperatures drop to “dangerous” levels in the coming days.

Hospitals in Northamptonshire, Cornwall, Liverpool, Hampshire, Birmingham and Plymouth are among those battling “serious incidents”. A “major incident” may be declared when a medical or care service is so busy that special measures are required to restore normal operations.

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust also announced that a combination of “huge patient demand, pressure within local hospitals and flooding” resulted in the first major incident in its history.

Non-urgent patients have been warned of long waits in A&E and urged to “consider other options” such as contacting their GP, visiting a pharmacy or calling NHS 111.

Sir Stephen said: “NHS frontline staff are under huge pressure and demand shows no signs of slowing down. The latest data shows that at the end of last year, the number of flu cases in hospitals was around 5,000 per day. “The number of cases has increased rapidly, and multiple medical institutions across the country have made a declaration.” Manage incidents to help manage additional strain on your services.

“Over the past week, the NHS flu advice page has been accessed on average every eight seconds, and in addition to influenza, hospitals also face continued pressure from coronavirus and RSV.” [respiratory syncytial virus] As the “quademic” continues to increase pressure across services, cases of norovirus have also emerged.

“As children return to school, we expect to see a further increase in influenza cases, along with nasty bacteria like norovirus, which can remain highly contagious for up to 48 hours after symptoms have subsided.”

This comes amid growing concerns about a virus called human metapneumovirus (hMPV), which is said to be rapidly increasing in China.

Data suggests the number of infections with flu-like symptoms has doubled in the last month.

Mr Streeting said on LBC radio that some ambulances are transporting patients to A&E just to die because they don’t “get the right treatment in the right place at the right time”. .

He acknowledged that hospitals may refuse to accept new patients because wards are full, but warned that this was creating an “unbearable patient risk”. The minister promised to do “everything we can” to “ensure we see consistent improvement year-on-year”, but acknowledged it would take time.

He added: “I feel really sad and ashamed about some of the things that patients are going through, and I know NHS and social care staff feel the same way.” he added.

“They go to work and persevere, but it’s very painful for them to see people in this condition.”

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Wards and A&E are under relentless pressure, with knock-on effects on ambulance handovers, but NHS staff and trust leaders are working hard to keep patients safe. “We continue to do everything we can to see them as soon as possible.” As much as possible.

Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “This is a significant influenza outbreak, but the problem is that we don’t have the capacity to deal with it.”

“So it’s actually the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

Royal Liverpool University Hospital has been under a major incident since Monday night.

It is understood that the longest time a patient waited to be admitted to a ward at the hospital was 50 hours.

Wales Ambulance Service also declared a major incident. Welsh Conservative health spokesman James Evans said 18 ambulances were waiting outside Grange Hospital near Newport, south Wales.

York Hospital and Scarborough Hospital are asking patients to attend “crowded” emergency departments alone.

Dr Ed Smith, of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We understand that it is appropriate for friends and family to accompany children or act as carers, but if, for example, a patient “If you can attend alone, this will help.” Free up needed space for other patients. ”

Meanwhile, in Scotland, hospitals are struggling under pressure from extreme weather and an “unusual surge” in influenza cases, with some departments nearing 400% capacity and patients receiving “unsafe treatment”.

Much of the country is bracing for more snow and ice, which could send more patients to emergency medical centers for falls and winter illnesses.

The latest statistics for the week ending 29 December, the last full week of 2024, show that just 58.4% of A&E patients were treated within the four-hour target, the highest weekly statistics since 2015. It was the fifth worst score.

November 2024 was the worst November on record for A&E waiting times, with just 65.8% receiving treatment within the target period.

NHS Grampian declared in November that it had suffered a serious incident with some ambulance patients being transferred to hospitals outside the health board area, and just before Christmas, Scottish Ambulance Service said crews were being forced to leave due to “significant pressure”. was given the highest level of emergency.

RCEM Scotland vice chair Dr Fiona Hunter said bed blockades were slowing down the flow of patients.

She said: “The system is already under extreme pressure and this major flu surge and cold snap is likely to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

Dr. Hunter said some departments are “approaching 400 percent capacity, with four times as many patients as there is private room space.”

It added: “Our patients are receiving unacceptable, degrading and dangerous treatment in hallways and in the backseats of ambulances. The main problem is the transfer of patients to hospital wards and high-dependency units. It cannot be transferred.

“We are in the middle of a winter crisis and predictably we are at a standstill and it is our patients and staff who are suffering.”

But Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Thanks to the well-preparedness, dedication and hard work of staff across the health service and social care, our services continue to perform well.”

In the final week of 2024, 1,537 people were admitted to Scottish hospitals with flu, significantly more than 436 in the same week last winter.

Dr Sandesh Gulhane, the Scottish Conservative health spokesman, said Mr Gray was “kidding his head to think the winter NHS plan was a success”, and Scotland’s Royal College of Nursing said health and social care services were “under pressure”. “We will enter 2025 with a shortage of energy.” We have staff.”

Last winter, all adults aged 50 to 65 became eligible for the free jab programme, but this winter the age limit has been raised to 65.

Around 1.2 million Scots have received a flu vaccination so far this season, compared to 1.6 million at the same time last winter.