Five times more patients in hospital with flu

Ambulances have been waiting more than an hour to hand over patients at hospitals across the East of England

There are five times more patients in hospital with flu across the East of England than the same time last year, new figures have revealed.

There were 506 patients in hospital beds at 13 trusts across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Peterborough and Suffolk, on 28 December.

The previous year there were 103.

The East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) has also been facing increased pressure, with 53% more ambulances waiting more than an hour to hand over patients compared to last year.

Health services across the East of England have been under growing pressure because of a spike in seasonal viruses.

The number of patients in critical care beds has also tripled, from seven on 29 December 2023 up to 21 this time around.

On New Year's Eve, EEAST declared its highest alert level, stating it had received an "unprecedented level" of 999 calls.

On 28 December 2023, the proportion of ambulances waiting more than an hour outside hospitals in the East of England was 22.6%.

On the same day in 2024, it was 32.7%.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the Princess Alexandra Hospital trust in Essex suffered the largest proportion of ambulance handover delays, with 68.2% waiting more than an hour on 28 December.

The new figures have emerged as hospitals across the region have brought in tighter visiting restrictions and reinforced mask wearing.

Neill Moloney, chief executive of EEAST, said: "We deeply regret that the exceptional pressure on the NHS during this very busy festive period has caused some patients to experience longer waits for an ambulance than they should.

"We sincerely apologise to everyone affected and fully recognise the distress this causes.

"Our teams have been working exceptionally hard to respond to patients as quickly as possible, prioritising those who need the most urgent care and attention."

He said the service was working with partners to reduce delays for hospital handovers and improve response times.

Prof Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said flu cases had risen at a "very concerning rate".

He also warned of added pressure due to Covid-19 and higher than normal hospital cases of RSV and norovirus.