Concern over hospitals' full A&Es on Christmas Day

Nick Hulme visited both acute hospitals run by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Two acute hospitals had an "extraordinary" Christmas Day, with both A&Es full - sparking concerns about seasonal pressures in the coming weeks.

NHS trust chief executive Nick Hulme visited Ipswich and Colchester hospitals on Wednesday - as he has done at acute hospitals for the past 25 to 30 years - and said in the past he would expect to find "up to 100 empty beds and one or two empty wards".

"This year on both sites they were full, and I've never seen that on Christmas Day, and that gives me real concern as we approach the busiest time," said Mr Hulme, who heads East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

NHS England national medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis said: "Despite record A&E demand in recent months, we want to reassure people that we are working incredibly hard to keep them safe, manage additional pressure and provide the best possible care."

'Thrown off course'

Mr Hulme's concerns come a fortnight after he reported a spike in patients at both sites with flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday, he said the hospitals had seen more patients with flu at the end of December, which usually happened in the first and second week of January.

"It is fairly predictable in terms of our seasonable variation planning, but we have been thrown off course with the numbers we have seen coming in before Christmas.

"As we approach the next fortnight, three weeks, we've usually got a bit of a buffer, a bit of capacity, to get into the beginning of January, but the numbers I saw [on Christmas day], and having spoken with staff, there is a real concern."

Asked what had caused both hospitals to be so busy on Christmas Day, he said they had been dealing with an increasing number of patients with infections, elderly patients and patient with co-morbidities.

"We haven't got the infrastructure yet, in terms of community services and primary care, to manage some of those patients in a more appropriate setting," he added.

"Not all patients need to be in an acute hospital, but at the moment we haven't had the investment and we haven't got the infrastructure to manage those patients safely outside hospital.

"They come to the only place with the lights on, and that's A&E over the holiday period."

He said the change required would take time and money, and in the meantime "we need to make sure the NHS is safe, and that people who turn up at A&E will find a bed".

In a statement, Prof Powis said: "NHS staff are facing increased pressure this winter, with an early flu season meaning the influx of flu cases this festive period has already surpassed last winter's peak."

He encouraged anyone eligible to have a vaccination to protect them against winter viruses, and to "think twice" about seeing loved ones if they are seriously unwell.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "We inherited an NHS that is broken but not beaten, and staff are already working hard to tackle an increase in admissions this winter.

"We're backing them with an extra £26 billion secured in the recent budget and we've already resolved the industrial action to ensure A&Es will be strike-free for the first time in three years.

Mr Streeting also encouraged anyone who is eligible to get their flu and Covid jabs.