Brits battling huge virus spike with NHS under pressure 'like height of Covid pandemic'
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NHS staff are facing the same extreme pressures last experienced during the “height of the pandemic,” amid a huge surge in viruses. New data from NHS England shows there were an average of 5,408 flu patients in beds in England each day last week, including 256 in critical care. The figure is up 21% from 4,469 the previous week, when 211 were in critical care and nearly five times the number on December 1, when the total stood at 1,098.
It comes after around 20 NHS trusts across England declared critical incidents as services were stretched beyond capacity. Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Some staff working in A&E [are] saying their days at work feel like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic.
“It is clear hospitals are under exceptional pressure at the start of this new year, with mammoth demand stemming from this ongoing cold weather snap and respiratory viruses like flu. [This is] all on the back of 2024 being the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance teams.
“I never fail to be impressed by the remarkable job NHS staff across a range of services [are doing] in the face of current challenges, remaining compassionate, professional and doing everything they can to see patients as quickly as possible while often working in hospitals that are full to bursting. It is hard to quantify just through the data how tough it is for frontline staff at the moment.”.
