Superflu cases plunge NHS into 'worst-case scenario'

Health service director warns that peak is 'not yet in sight'

- REBECCA THOMAS HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

Hospital bosses are warning that the worst is yet to come as soaring superflu rates plunge the NHS into a “worst-case scenario” just days before the latest round of doctors’ strikes.

The number of people in hospital in England with flu is at a record high for this time of year, with numbers up 55 per cent in a week, new NHS figures show. Health chiefs have warned that the “unprecedented wave” is pushing staff to the limit, and said the surge in admissions shows “just how dangerous the situation is getting across our NHS hospitals”.

It comes as Downing Street hit out at the British Medical Association (BMA), saying that the doctors’ union must reverse its “astounding” plans to strike - plans it said would inflict “pain” on patients.

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. Weekly flu numbers in England peaked at 5,408 patients last winter and reached 5,441 over the winter of 2022-23, the highest level since the pandemic.

The NHS national medical director, Professor Meghana Pandit, said: “With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors’ strike, this unprecedented wave of superflu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year - with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients.