Last week (w/e 29 Dec) there were an average of 4,469 patients with flu in hospital each day – almost 3.5 times higher than the same week last year – including 211 a day in critical care.
There were 4,102 patients in hospital with flu on Christmas Day, rising sharply by almost a quarter to 5,074 by Sunday 29 December. The new figures mean flu cases in hospital have quadrupled in a month (1,190 on 29 Nov).
There are warnings of continued pressure going into 2025, with amber cold health alerts for England issued by UKHSA as temperatures in the coming days are set to drop below freezing.
Hospitals are still experiencing pressure from a range of viruses, with an average of 723 patients with norovirus in hospital in the week ending 22 Dec, and 528 patients each day last week – although this has come down, it remains 40% higher than 378 the same week last year.
There was also an average of 74 children with RSV in hospital every day last week, up almost half on 50 for the same period in 2023, as well as an average of 1,184 beds occupied by patients with Covid.
The latest figures follow a warning by the NHS three weeks ago about low flu vaccine take-up rates that are still not at the levels we need to prevent further rises in admissions. Vaccine uptake currently stands at 37% for those in a clinical risk group.
While the national vaccination booking system has now closed, those eligible can still get protected by visiting a COVID-19 walk-in vaccination site or finding a pharmacy offering the flu vaccine.
Ahead of winter the NHS put in place measures to manage extra demand including upgraded 24 hour co-ordination centres, support for frequent users of A&E services, strengthening same day emergency care and providing more care in the community.
To prepare for an expected rise in winter pressure, the NHS had 1,301 more beds open last week than the same period last year (101,309 vs 100,008). There was an average of 648 more beds occupied each day compared to last year (90,200 vs 89,552).
Ahead of Christmas, NHS staff went above and beyond to discharge as many patients as possible who no longer needed to be there with 15,094 patients discharged on Christmas Eve, up more than 40% on the 10,495 discharges on average for the week before.
Further figures show the pressure on urgent and emergency services with a total of 98,118 ambulance handovers to hospitals last week, and 465,442 calls received by NHS 111.
Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said: “These latest figures show the pressure from flu was nowhere near letting up before we headed into the New Year, skyrocketing to over 5,000 cases a day in hospital as of the end of last week and rising at a very concerning rate.
“On top of flu there is also continual pressure from Covid, while RSV and norovirus hospital cases are also higher than last year, with hospitals putting in place an extra 1,300 beds last week than the same time last year in expectation of this continued pressure from viruses and other demand.
“With what looks like an extreme cold snap expected right across England ahead of the weekend, we know the low temperatures can be dangerous for those who are vulnerable or have respiratory conditions so if you are at risk, do try and keep warm and make sure you are stocked up on any regular medication.
“Please continue to use NHS 111 and 111 online if you need advice and support for health conditions, and only use 999 or attend A&E in life-threatening emergencies.”
Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting said: “The tidal wave of flu this winter has seen more than three times as many patients in hospital compared with last year, putting huge pressures on the NHS.
“This government has ended the strikes so staff are on the frontline this winter rather than the picket line, introduced the new RSV vaccine, and put immediate extra investment into the NHS.
“But we have been honest from day one that the status quo isn’t good enough. We are investing in and reforming our NHS, and grasping the nettle of social care reform, to finally break out of the cycle of annual winter crises, because there is no solution to the crisis in the NHS that doesn’t involve a solution to the social care crisis.”
