NHS strain on the rise as flu cases surge, alarming

A surge in flu cases is causing major problems for hospitals, the head of NHS England has warned.

The number of people hospitalized with the virus in the UK last week averaged more than 5,400 a day, about 1,000 more than a week ago.

Professor Julian Redhead, from NHS England, said hospitals were “overwhelmed with patients” and the number of infections was rising at a “worrying rate”.

He said this was causing delays in A&E and ambulances as staff struggled to cope with the demands placed on them.

This comes after around 20 NHS trusts were forced to declare serious incidents due to the pressures they are facing.

Professor Redhead, NHS England's national director of emergency medicine, said the “surge” in influenza cases came on top of continued pressure from other viruses, including coronavirus and emetic norovirus.

He said staff were dissatisfied with the quality of care provided under such pressure and apologized for any perceived problems.

“I'm really proud of how my colleagues have responded to pressure… but no one wants to see an ambulance delayed or a patient delayed in getting the bed they need. No one is proud of the system.'' That's what's happening. ”

The number of flu cases is more than triple what it was this time last year and is now at the same level as the number of infections in early 2023, making it one of the worst flu seasons in years.

Saffron Cordery, from NHS Providers, who represents health bosses, said that on top of the bad weather and flooding, the NHS had had a “brutal” start to the new year.

Furthermore, she added: “We are not out of the woods yet, and things are likely to get worse before they get better.

“Stress and strain on emergency services is a major concern, with many patients facing long waiting times in ambulances and A&E.”

Liz Shearer is just one of many people who have shared their experiences of the care provided to the BBC.

Her elderly mother spent more than 30 hours last week in the hallways in a hospital trolley because there were no rooms available. She collapsed at the care home and was taken to hospital.

“I had never experienced anything like it in my life. It was like a Victorian workhouse. The nurses were telling me how bad this was and that we had to get on with this. I said no.”

Yvonne Wolstenholme spent 13 hours in A&E after her GP sent her there because she was having trouble breathing.

“It was really heavy,” she said. “The staff are stuck in the snow and really running around like headless chickens, not because of a lack of skill, but because they don't have the time to see individual patients.

“While I was there, there were at least eight paramedics waiting to hand over patients, and it's clear that if they were waiting, they weren't waiting out on the street.”

Official figures released on Thursday showed how the emergency medical system is struggling.

• The average ambulance response time for immediately life-threatening Category 1 calls, such as cardiac arrest, was 8 minutes and 40 seconds in December. The goal is 7 minutes
• Category 2 calls, which include heart attacks and strokes, lasted 47 minutes and 26 seconds. The goal is 18 minutes
• Only 71% of patients visiting A&E were seen, treated or admitted within the four-hour target time

However, there was more positive news when it came to routine treatment, with hospital waiting lists falling to 7.48 million people at the end of November, down from 7.54 million the previous month and an all-time high of 7.77 million in September 2023. It was lower than people.

Other parts of the UK are under similar pressure, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all missing out on key targets.

Scotland's Royal College of Emergency Medicine announced this week that Scotland's hospitals were “overwhelmed” and in the midst of a winter crisis.

Dr Tim Cooksley, from the Society of Emergency Medicine, said the NHS was facing a “terrifying” winter crisis.

“The reality for patients and staff is that corridors are full of patients receiving poor quality care due to lack of space in hospitals, patients being treated in the backseats of ambulances, and inevitably suffering physical and mental health problems. will cause great damage.

“The fundamental problem is that we continue to lack capacity throughout the year. We must not use a difficult flu season as a political excuse for the current situation.”