Hospitals hit by a huge influx of patients amid 'flu-nami', says NHS

OFFICIALS SAY 'NO PEAK IN SIGHT' AS SERVICE STRUGGLES TO COPE WITH ILLNESS

- By JANE KIRBY & IAN JONES

THE number of people in hospital in England with flu remains at a record level for this time of year and has jumped by 55% in a week, NHS figures show.

Latest figures for the week ending December 7 show there were an average of 35 patients per day in the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton trust, up from 20 the previous week.

Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, said “there is a tidal wave of flu tearing through our hospitals” as figures showed an average of 2,660 flu patients were in hospital each day last week, up from 1,717 the previous week. At this point last year the number stood at 1,861 patients, while in 2023 it was just 402.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, warned the “unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year” and there was no peak in sight.

Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the “flu-nami” was hitting the NHS but this was “a sadly familiar picture of a system under relentless strain”.