'Bounce back' in winter virus after Christmas gatherings

CHRISTMAS and new year gatherings may have caused a "bounce back" in winter viruses, with the number of people in hospital with flu up slightly, according to NHS England.

- By JANE KIRBY AND IAN JONES, PRESS ASSOCIATION

People in hospital beds with flu in England averaged 2,924 each day during the week ending January 4, up nine per cent from 2,676 the previous week.

The figure had previously been on a downwards trend, after reaching 3,140 in the week ending December 14.

The latest round of NHS data also shows there has been a sharp increase in the proportion of patients experiencing long waits in ambulances outside hospitals in England before being handed over to A&E teams.

Some 33 per cent of patients arriving by ambulance at hospitals last week waited at least 30 minutes to be handed over.

This is up from 18 per cent the previous week and is the highest figure so far this winter.

The week did include New Year's Eve, which is one of the busiest nights of the year for ambulance crews.

Some 12 per cent of ambulance handovers last week, or 11,805 patients, were delayed by more than an hour, up from four per cent the previous week and also the highest level so far this winter.

Overall, bed occupancy in England's hospitals was up five per cent on the previous week at just under 92 per cent.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, said: "It's clear that the worst is far from over for the NHS this winter, with hospitals again experiencing a rise in patients admitted with flu and other respiratory virus cases last week.