Flu and Covid cases are putting an increased strain on a “fragile and pressured emergency care system” despite the number of hospital admissions being well below last year. The respiratory infections, which have been dubbed ‘Fluvid” by some health professionals, are rampant during the winter months with severe cases leading to people seeking help at accident and emergency departments across the UK.
The highly contagious diseases are a double headache for the NHS because they can lead to vulnerable patients in hospital for something else picking up one of the viruses, as well as staff absences due to sickness.
Speaking to Express.co.uk the President of The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), Dr Adrian Boyle, said at this time of year the bugs put all departments “under pressure”.
He said: “These viruses increase the risk of staff sickness and absences, further stretching the workforce and increase the risk of ward closures, exacerbating the shortfall in beds.
“They also put our most vulnerable patients at risk of hospital-acquired infection. Overall, they put an increased strain on an already fragile and pressured emergency care system.”
Dr Boyle added: “At this time of year, respiratory viruses – flu and covid, all put our departments under even more pressure. Thankfully, the situation is not as bad as last year which was extremely difficult.”
Last week the number of flu and Covid-19 patients in hospital in England dipped for the first time this winter, suggesting a recent rise in infections may be levelling off.
But health chiefs warned the NHS is still facing a “challenging winter” thanks to the knock-on effects of strikes by junior doctors, while the current cold snap could see a jump in people needing care.
An average of 1,416 patients were in hospital each day last week with flu, including 81 in critical care beds, according to NHS England. The total was down nine percent from 1,548 in the previous week, which was the highest so far this season.
Levels are well below those seen last winter, when more than 5,000 people were in hospital with the virus and the UK was in the middle of its worst flu outbreak for a decade.
The number of hospital patients testing positive for Covid-19 has shown a similar drop, with an average of 3,949 each day in the week to January 14. This is down 7 percent from the previous week’s total of 4,235, which again was the highest so far this winter.
At the same time, however, there has been an increase in Norovirus cases admitted, with an average of 452 patients with diarrhoea and vomiting symptoms in hospital each day, up by a fifth from 377 in a fortnight, and nearly a third higher than this time last year (344).
According to the NHS, demand for beds remains high, with around 19 in every 20 adult beds occupied.
Despite the drop in flu and Covid admissions, Dr Boyle said it was still important for people to get vaccinated. He said: “We encourage anyone who is eligible, to get vaccinated and protect themselves this winter. It is still worthwhile, even now.”
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis added: “These figures show this continues to be a challenging winter, with our staff facing a combination of considerable pressures including winter viruses, high bed occupancy and the knock-on effects from strikes, while this week’s cold snap could see a jump in the number of people needing care.
“Staff must also contend with continued issues discharging patients who are medically fit due to a lack of social care capacity and a year-on-year increase in ambulances arriving at hospitals.”