The number of patients in hospital with norovirus has surged 45% to a new winter high in England, as NHS bosses warn the virus is leaving hospitals under pressure
The number of patients in English hospitals with norovirus has surged by 45%, hitting a new peak for this winter, according to recent data. Last week saw an average of 823 hospital beds occupied daily by individuals suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting or symptoms akin to norovirus.
This figure marks a significant increase from the previous week’s average of 567 patients and surpasses the count from the same period last year, when 784 patients were occupying hospital beds.
Conversely, the number of people hospitalised with flu in England has decreased for the second consecutive week, with an average of 2,519 flu patients each day during the week ending January 18, down 8% from 2,725 the previous week.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is engaging with local BBC radio stations throughout Thursday morning, expressed that the aspect he values most about the NHS is “is that when you fall ill you never have to worry about the bill”.
He acknowledged that the NHS continues to grapple with numerous challenges, including late diagnoses, delayed hospital discharges leading to bed shortages and corridor care, as well as the strain of winter pressures.
Streeting likened his role as Health Secretary to “I’ve found, as Health Secretary, that turning around the NHS is a bit like turning a tanker,”, stating: “My aim over this next year is to make sure that we’re seeing progress, but also faster progress, whether that’s on waiting lists, whether that’s in urgent and emergency care, whether that’s on access to general practice, the things that people really care about, experience and value in the NHS.”
He noted that ambulance response times were getting better and waiting lists were falling, but acknowledged there was still considerable work ahead.
“But we still this winter have this issues with people on trolleys on corridors…hospitals bend over backwards to make sure the care is safe but nobody can say it is dignified being treated on a trolley in a corridor.”
He explained that the “NHS was in such a state when we inherited it, and it does take time to deal with the legacy issues”, including hospital waiting lists, staffing shortages and buildings “that were literally crumbling”.
He remarked that “right now we are in the depths of winter in January, we did really well in December against the backdrop of strikes and the winter pressures, but in January, it’s been really hard.
“I know staff have been slogging their guts out, and there have been far too many patients being treated in conditions that I do not think are acceptable.
“That’s the thing that really drives me to be honest. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but my focus is always on the things where we need to go a lot further, a lot faster, and where improvement is desperately needed.”
NHS England revealed that more general and acute hospital beds were filled during the week ending Jan 18 (94.5%) than at any point during mid-January since 2020.
Thursday’s NHS figures also indicated a marginal decrease in the percentage of people enduring lengthy waits in ambulances outside hospitals before being transferred to A&E teams. Some 33% of patients arriving by ambulance at hospitals last week waited at least 30 minutes to be handed over.
This is down from 37% the previous week, which was the highest figure so far this winter. Some 12% of ambulance handovers last week, or 11,183 patients, were delayed by more than an hour, down from 15% the previous week, which was also the highest level so far this winter.
NHS national medical director, Professor Meghana Pandit, said: “A rise in this vomiting virus is leaving hospitals under pressure.
“Norovirus cases didn’t peak until February last winter, so we’re monitoring closely for further increases ahead of another predicted cold snap this weekend. But despite these pressures, we are clearly seeing shorter waiting times for patients than previous winters.
“This is a testament to the incredible hard work of NHS staff and the early and detailed preparation and planning they did ahead of winter this year.”
She urged people to keep coming forward for care if they needed it and to take simple steps such as frequent hand washing to prevent the spread of norovirus.
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