Flu cases in hospital are seven times higher than last month, new figures show, as a nurses union chief warns the NHS is 'buckling' amid surging cases, bed shortages, and staff absences.
According to new NHS England report, there were 3,746 patients a day in hospital with flu last week, which is up from 520 a month ago.The NHS has warned that pressure from flu on the health service continues to grow.
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: "Sadly, these latest flu numbers show our fears of a 'twindemic' have been realised, with cases up seven-fold in just a month and the continued impact of COVID hitting staff hard, with related absences up almost 50% on the end of November."Other areas have also been severely impacted.
Capacity is continuing to be affected by delayed discharges, with 12,313 beds a day occupied by patients who no longer met the criteria to reside, and almost 600,000 calls were made to the 111 service, an increase of over two thirds from the 365,338 made this time last year. Responding to the report, the Royal College of Nursing Director for England, Patricia Marquis told Sky News: "As we begin a new year, the NHS is buckling before our eyes.Staff on a hospital ward, October 3, 2014."On top of this, the vast majority of adult general and acute hospital beds are full - around 94% - including tens of thousands of patients who are fit to be discharged but cannot be because of a severe lack of community and social care services.
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