More than 90 per cent of general and acute beds at the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust were occupied in December as flu cases soared.
According to the latest NHS Situation Report, the Trust had an average of 674 out of 720 beds occupied in the week leading up to December 29. This makes for a total of 94 per cent of beds occupied on average. Meanwhile, across England, 89 per cent of available beds were occupied in the same week. This is an improvement on 93 per cent the week before.
At the same time, the average number of flu patients in beds each day in the week leading up to December 29 reached 4,469. This is up 17 per cent from the week before and of these patients, 211 were in critical care. In Calderdale and Huddersfield, an average of 53 patients had flu with two in critical care, a rise from 48 the week previous.
Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said the figures “show the pressure from flu was nowhere near letting up before we headed into the New Year” and cases are “rising at a very concerning rate”.
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In addition, the data showed an average of 528 beds in England were occupied by those with diarrhoea and vomiting, or norovirus symptoms. The average number of hospital beds occupied by those with Covid-19 at the national level was 1,184. Calderdale and Huddersfield saw four patients with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus symptoms and eight patients in total tested positive for Covid-19.
Prof Redhead said: “On top of flu there is also continual pressure from Covid, while RSV and norovirus hospital cases are also higher than last year, with hospitals putting in place an extra 1,300 beds last week than the same time last year in expectation of this continued pressure from viruses and other demand.”
He added those who are vulnerable or have respiratory conditions should keep warm and make sure their regular medication is stocked during the cold weather.
NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said: “The NHS has done all it can in advance to mitigate risks to patients this winter, but we should be under no illusions that the service is in a position of national vulnerability as the intense pressures we are now seeing start to grip local services.”
He added the statistics reveal the NHS is facing “huge demand, from sicker patients, with very high levels of flu”. He said: “The next two to three weeks will likely be the busiest period of the year for many local services and we need to acknowledge the strain that this will place on staff and services.”