Flu pressure rises with hospital cases in Bucks up 50% in a week

Thousands of hospital beds were occupied by flu patients in England last week, with hundreds receiving critical care treatment, latest health figures show.

In the seven days to December 25, 3,746 beds were occupied each day on average because of flu, according to data published by NHS England. This is a 79% rise on the week before when 2,088 were in hospital. There were also hundreds of seriously ill flu patients receiving critical care. On average, acute trusts were treating 267 people in critical care each day.

This compares with just 34 patients in hospital with flu at the same time the previous year (week ending December 26 2021), two of whom were in in critical care.

In Bucks in the seven days to December 25, there were an average of 31 flu patients occupying beds in Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust hospitals, with one requiring critical care. This is up from 21 flu patients needing hospital beds and one requiring critical care the previous week.

Health chiefs recently warned that this year’s flu season could be more severe than in the years before the pandemic and urged people to stay at home and wear masks if unwell. In December the number of patients in hospital with flu in England skyrocketed with admissions overtaking those for Covid earlier in the month.

Some parts of the country are being harder hit by the seasonal virus than others. Eight hospitals were found to have 100 or more flu patients while others, like Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, had none.

NHS staff have also been impacted by the spread of viruses this winter, with Covid absences each day up almost half on last month, from 5,448 to 8,029.

Bed occupancy remains particularly high, with more than nine in 10 beds filled (over 93%) compared to 86% for the same period last year.

Hospital capacity continues to be impacted by delayed discharges, with 12,313 beds a day taken up by patients who no longer met the criteria to stay in hospital.

Pressure on the 111 service also remained high, with nearly 600,000 calls (599,622) last week – up more than two thirds from 365,338 this time last year.

Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Sadly, these latest flu numbers show our fears of a ‘twindemic’ have been realised, with cases up seven fold in just a month and the continued impact of Covid hitting staff hard, with related absences up almost 50% on the end of November.

“As well as flu, the NHS continues to be under significant pressure, with high bed occupancy, more than 12,000 beds taken up by patients medically fit for discharge, and demand for the 111 service remaining high, so please do make the most of 111 online, and only call 999 or visit A&E in an emergency.

“It is clear this is no time to be complacent and the risk of serious illness is very real, so with nearly 350,000 available vaccination appointments next week it is important that everyone eligible comes forward and gets their Covid and flu jabs at the earliest opportunity.”