Hospital flu cases in England have again hit a record high, amid fears the country faces a ‘national emergency’.
Surveillance programmes that monitor England’s outbreak suggest flu hospital admissions are up almost a fifth on last week.
Figures show more than 3,100 beds alone were taken up by flu patients every day last week, the highest ever for this time of year.
Of these, 128 were in critical care beds, up a fifth on the 106 logged in the previous week.
In south-east England, flu hospitalisations were up 33 per cent, in north-east England and Yorkshire they were up 21 per cent, in London they rose 18 per cent.
At this point in 2024, the number of patients with flu in England stood at 2,629 patients, while in 2023 it was just 648.
Yet, Sir Jim Mackie, NHS England chief executive, yesterday told MPs that while it’s ‘still early days’, flu admissions ‘might be starting to settle in some parts of the country’.
Separate data released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) today also shows that flu cases are ‘now starting to stabalise’.
Hospitals, however, are still under pressure from cases of the winter vomiting bug norovirus, which are also up a fifth on the previous week.
Health officials today said that despite the slowing in flu cases, the heath service remains on ‘high alert’ and is ‘not out of the woods yet’.
But Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey labelled the figures ‘a national emergency’ and called for flu jabs to be offered widely in churches, clubs and community venues.
He said: ‘This is a national emergency. Patients are facing appalling, degrading conditions in our overwhelmed A&E departments.
‘The Prime Minister must immediately hold a COBRA meeting and fund flu jabs, offered to all, in churches, clubs and community venues across the country.’
It also comes as resident doctors — formerly known as junior doctors — yesterday took to the picket lines for the first of their five-day walkout over pay and working conditions.
It is the medics 14th round of industrial action since 2023, in pursuit of a 26 per cent pay rise.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has rebuffed calls to go to arbitration with the Government in a dispute which has grown increasingly bitter.
Are doctors right to strike during a flu crisis?
Go to comments Officials have warned as many as 70,000 operations and appointments could be axed between now and Monday, when the strike ends.
Health bosses said patients are ‘likely to feel the [strike’s] impact’ amid a flu sweeping across Britain.
Meghana Pandit, NHS National Medical Director, today said: ‘While some parts of the country will be breathing a sigh of relief with flu cases not rising as quickly as feared, we are nowhere near out of the woods yet.
‘Combined with the impact of strikes, a stream of winter viruses means many hospitals will be on high alert in the days ahead.
‘But it remains vital that people continue to come forward for NHS care as normal.
‘If you need urgent help, dial 999 in an emergency, or use NHS 111 for other care needs.
‘And if you are eligible, please come forward for a jab, it’s not too late.’
Health secretary West Streeting added: ‘Flu continues to put significant strain on the NHS, with record numbers of patients in hospital, and frontline services remaining under enormous pressure.
‘I’m appealing to the public to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting your flu jab.
‘I want to thank NHS staff who are going above and beyond at the toughest time of year.
‘Thanks to their hard work and careful planning, ambulance handovers are around eight minutes quicker than this time last year.
‘The BMA’s regrettable decision to pursue strike action at this critical moment is piling on the pressure, but the NHS team has responded brilliantly to keep the show on the road.
‘Our entire focus is on keeping patients safe through the strikes and this peak period for the NHS.’
Yesterday, shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew claimed he has heard from cancer patients ‘worried’ for their lives amid strike action.
‘These are real people who are expecting to have treatment that they’ve been preparing for, for some time. We’ve been getting messages from all over the country,’ he told Sky News.
‘A woman contacted to say her cancer treatment is not going to happen over these next five days, and in her own words, she says, “I’m worried for my life”.
‘I just wish that the BMA would behave better, get their members back into those hospitals where they’re needed, but I do thank those resident doctors that haven’t actually gone back to work to help out in this very difficult circumstance.’
The troublesome mutant H3N2 flu strain is believed to be behind the spike in flu cases.
Dubbed subclade K or the ‘super flu’, it mutated seven times over the summer, helping it to evade previous immunity and is believed to affect the elderly more.
According to the fresh NHS figures, admissions have surged by up to 40 per cent in parts of the country, with 94 per cent of hospital beds across England now occupied.
A 40 per cent rise in admissions was logged in the South West, with a 39 per cent rise in the East of England.
The North West was the only region to see cases fall over the past week — by four per cent.
This slowing is thought to be due to higher vaccination rates and the public taking additional steps to protect elderly and vulnerable people, health leaders said.
Nine hospital trusts saw their number of flu admissions more than double in a week.
These included Kingston Hospital, Isle of Wight, Dorset County Hospital, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston, Wirral University Teaching Hospital and Epsom and St Helier.
University Hospitals Birmingham again saw the highest number of flu hospitalisations last week, with 249 beds occupied on average last week.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust followed with 107 beds.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and Barts Health NHS Trust, meanwhile logged 103 and 101 beds occupied by flu patients.
University Hospitals of the North Midlands NHS Trust reported 76 beds taken with flu patients.
Flu has also driven up high levels of hospital staff absences.
Officials said it is up over 1,100 in a week, and up 4,500 (nine per cent) on the same week two years ago.
Since September, health officials have urged the millions eligible to come forward for their Covid and flu jabs, to reduce their risk of becoming severely unwell and needing hospital care.
Bosses last week also issued an urgent plea to parents to get their children vaccinated against flu in a bid to protect their grandparents at Christmas.
More than 18million vaccines have now been administered in England — over 306,000 more than this time last year.
But Wes Streeting has also declared there is no need for a mask-wearing mandate ‘at this stage’.
Separate figures released by the UKHSA today also showed laboratory confirmed reports of flu in England, stood stable around 21 per cent.
There were 10.3 hospital admissions per 100,000 people last week, broadly unchanged from 10.2 per 100,000 the previous week.
Admissions remain highest among people over the age of 85.
More than a third of all samples (36 per cent) tested at GP surgeries were positive for flu.
This was largely driven by cases among school-aged children between five and 14 years-old, the UKHSA said.
H3N2 accounted for the vast majority of all cases.
