Flu and norovirus add to A&E burden as million more patients treated this year than in 2018
Written by News on 19/12/2019
NHS A&E departments have treated more than a million people this year than in 2018 – with flu and norovirus outbreaks arriving earlier, heaping pressure on the health service.
The latest NHS weekly figures show services are coming under pressure with nearly 900 beds taken up due to norovirus outbreaks.
The figure is almost double the amount at the same time last year.
The weekly figures, released on 19 December, also show the number of patients who spent seven days or more in hospital were 339 fewer than the previous week.
Less than one in 10 major A&Es implemented a temporary divert, where patients are directed to other accident and emergency departments.
This figure is down on both last week and the same week last year.
The number of people arriving at A&E by ambulance was high at 2,500 – an increase of 2.6% on last year, according to the latest weekly figures.
There were more than 12,000 additional calls to NHS 111 for urgent medical advice over the last week compared to the seven days before.
There was also nearly 70,000 more calls compared to the same period last year – an increase of 20.5%.
Last week’s A&E statistics from November showed there have been over a million more patients in A&E compared to 2018, and almost three million more than 2014.
The latest figures from Public Health England (PHE) show that influenza-like illness continues to increase, and is above baseline threshold levels with more people in hospital compared to the previous week.
An NHS spokesperson said: “Hospitals now have more beds open than this time last year, but flu and norovirus have kicked in a bit earlier so are adding pressure at a time when the NHS is already looking after significantly more people than ever before.
“The NHS has already looked after a million more people in A&E this year compared to last, and as we head into the holiday period it’s really important that the public help our hardworking staff by getting their flu vaccine now, using the free NHS 111 phone and online service for urgent medical needs, seeing their local pharmacist for minor ailments and ensuring they are stocked up on the medication they need.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Flu and norovirus add to A&E burden as million more patients treated this year than in 2018
