The number of flu patients in hospital in England has fallen for the first time this winter, suggesting the recent rise in infections may be levelling off. Covid-19 patient numbers have also dipped, with data indicating the virus has become less prevalent among the wider population since Christmas.
Health chiefs warned the NHS is still facing a “challenging winter” thanks to the knock-on effects of strikes by junior doctors, while the current cold snap could see a jump in people needing care. An average of 1,416 patients were in hospital each day last week with flu, including 81 in critical care beds, according to NHS England.
The total is down 9% from 1,548 in the previous week, which was the highest so far this season. Levels are well below those seen last winter, when more than 5,000 people were in hospital with the virus and the UK was in the middle of its worst flu outbreak for a decade.
The number of hospital patients testing positive for Covid-19 has shown a similar drop, with an average of 3,949 each day in the week to January 14. This is down 7% from the previous week’s total of 4,235, which again was the highest so far this winter.
Norovirus levels have risen slightly for the second week in a row, but are still below the peak reached in the run-up to Christmas. An average of 452 adult hospital beds were filled last week by patients with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms.
This is up 7% week-on-week from 423 beds, though below the average of 566 beds in the week to December 17. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England national medical director, said staff are still facing a “challenging winter” due to a “combination of considerable pressures including winter viruses, high bed occupancy and the knock-on effects from strikes, while this week’s cold snap could see a jump in the number of people needing care”.
He added: “Staff must also contend with continued issues discharging patients who are medically fit due to a lack of social care capacity and a year-on-year increase in ambulances arriving at hospitals. But there are reasons for optimism, with the hard work of staff paying off to reduce ambulance handover delays, and almost three quarters of 111 calls being answered within a minute – which is all crucial in ensuring people get the help they need as quickly as possible.”
A total of 26% of hospital patients in England arriving by ambulance last week had to wait more than half an hour to be handed over to A&E teams. This is down from 31% the previous week but is higher than the equivalent figure for this point last year (23%). Some 9% of patients had to wait more than an hour to be handed over, down from 13% the previous week and the same figure at this stage in 2023.
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