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Hospital officials are warning that the worst is yet to come Fever falling rates NHS In “worst case scenario” a few days before the latest round doctors, strikes,
Number of people hospitalized in England Flu is at record highs this time of yearThe number more than doubled in a week – to 55 percent – with the new NHS Statistics show.
average 2,660 Fever patients were in hospital each day last week, up from 1,717 the week beforeLast year at this time the number was 1,861 patients, whereas in 2023 it was only 402,
Weekly flu numbers in England reached 5,408 patients last winter and are set to reach 5,441 in the winter of 2022-23, the highest level since the pandemic.
Professor Meghna Pandit, NHS national medical director, said: “With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an imminent resident doctors Due to the strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is causing the NHS to face the worst possible situation at this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to provide the best possible care to patients.
“The number of flu patients in hospital is very high at this time of year.
“Worse, it continues to rise, and the peak is not yet in sight, so the NHS faces a tough few weeks to come.”
His warning comes as a number of hospitals have already declared serious incidents, meaning hospitals cannot operate as normal due to increased pressure on A&E and hospital services.
The latest figures come as Britain has been hit by a new “super” strain of flu, called H3N2, which can cause more severe symptoms, and is apart from this year’s stress Vaccines were designed to protect.
The latest wave comes as resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, are set to strike next week, despite fresh government attempts to avert a walkout with a last-minute offer to the British Medical Association union.
Health Secretary has given this warning strikes There would be “a very different level of risk” than previous walkouts over Christmas, adding that he “can’t think of a single other trade union in this country that would behave in this way”.
Weekly figures show there were 106 flu patients in critical care beds in England last week – up from 69 the previous week and another record for this time of year.
Norovirus-like cases are also on the rise, with an average of 354 hospital beds per day filled last week by patients with diarrhea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms – up 35 per cent from 263 the previous week.
While beds are full of patients, the weekly NHS report shows that 11,141 patients, 12 per cent, were delayed by more than an hour in an ambulance while waiting to be handed over to A&E – up from 10 per cent last week but down from this point last year.
Meanwhile, NHS 111 services received 446,249 calls – up from 424,764 the previous week.
Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said in response to the weekly NHS data., “These figures show how dangerous the situation is becoming in our NHS hospitals. Wards and emergency departments were initially full, but now a surging flu virus could soon overwhelm them.
“Having not yet peaked and corridor care already rife across the NHS, nursing staff are deeply concerned about how they will maintain the safety and dignity of patients. We are clear that treating people in unsafe, non-clinical areas such as corridors, store cupboards and offices is not an acceptable response. Ministers need to act to protect patients this winter.”
The number of people waiting more than 12 hours before arriving at A&E was 147,496 in November, up from 161,944 in October, according to monthly NHS data published on Thursday.
Some 74.2 per cent of patients in England were seen within four hours of A&ES last month, up slightly from 74.1 per cent in October.
Resident doctors last went on strike last month from 14 to 19 November 2025.