Top NHS doctor issues stark flu warning as hospitals 'full to bursting'
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The peak of the winter flu crisis is yet to come - and wards across the country are already struggling to cope, a top NHS doctor has warned. Several hospital trusts have already declared critical incidents amidst heavy pressure on A&E departments leaving some patients being treated in hospital corridors and reports one person having to wait 50 hours to be admitted. Some hospital trusts have urged people to only visit A&E alone where possible and to wear masks.
According to Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, around 5,000 patients are currently being treated in hospital for flu in England alone. Prof Redhead said wards were "full to bursting" and that pressure was resulting in some patients "being treated in environments not usually used for clinical care".
"Most patients would recognise when they're being treated in a corridor but those aren't the environments we would want to treat patients in," he said. "That is difficult for colleagues and patients who are treated in that environment.". Prof Redhead added that there is "some evidence" the flu season may be peaking, but warned: "We've also got schools going back and that can cause different social mixing." He said a peak should be expected in the coming weeks. It's too early to say it's definitively peaked. I would hope there would be a peak in the next one to two weeks. But we've also got that cold snap at the moment, which will also put pressure on emergency services.
"We have pressure in emergency care all year round but the winter, with the added pressures of flu and other viruses, really makes that a really stark feeling of pressure." Meanwhile, the potential for the situation to become graver still was filling nursing staff "with dread", as they called for mandatory reporting of corridor care.
