Covid and flu hospitalisations in England have up to doubled in just two weeks, official figures have revealed.
NHS data shows there were nearly 4,000 Covid patients taking up beds in the week to December 31, up by more than two-thirds since the start of December.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 flu patients a day were in hospital, twice as many as logged a fortnight earlier.
Health leaders today warned that the ‘double whammy’ of the surge in respiratory viruses and junior doctor strikes is a ‘perfect storm’ heaping pressure on the NHS.
The medics are in the midst of a devastating six-day walkout, which is expected to see around 200,000 appointments cancelled.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, urged the Government and British Medical Association (BMA) to end their dispute for the sake of patients and staff, who are suffering intolerable stress.
The NHS data gives a snapshot of pressures on hospitals in the week to December 31, a time when the health service was finalising its contingency plans for dealing with the walkouts.
The number of hospital patients testing positive for Covid increased for a fifth week running.
An average of 3,929 Covid patients were taking up beds in each day in the week to New Year’s Eve, up eight per cent from the previous week and 68 per cent higher than at the start of December.
An average of 1,312 people were in hospital each day last week with flu, including 81 in critical care beds, according to NHS England.
The total is up over a third (39 per cent) from 942 in the previous week and more than double the 648 recorded a fortnight earlier.
It is the highest figure so far this winter but still well below the equivalent number at this point a year ago (5,441) when the UK was in the middle of its worst flu season for a decade.
However, levels of the winter vomiting bug norovirus fell 16 per cent in a week, taking up an average of 377 adult hospital beds compared to 451 the previous week.
Sir Julian said the new data show ‘considerable pressure continuing to mount throughout the health system’.
‘The effects of a six-day strike by junior doctors this week, hard on the heels of a three-day stoppage before Christmas, will be felt right across an already hard-pressed NHS,’ he added.
‘In winter, guaranteed to be one of the busiest times of year for the NHS, a double whammy of walkouts on top of sustained pressure including more Covid-19 hospitalisations is a perfect storm.
‘With longstanding, severe staff shortages – more than 121,000 vacancies today across NHS trusts in England – staff morale is low as heavy workloads take their toll.
‘At the last count, stress, anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses were behind more than 27 per cent of all sickness absences across the NHS.
‘The Government and unions must act fast to settle this long-running dispute and prevent more walkouts for the sake of patients and staff.’
The latest industrial action by junior doctors began at 7am on Wednesday and runs until 7am next Tuesday. It follows a 72-hour walkout in the week before Christmas.
Both strikes are part of a long-running dispute over pay, which has already seen 1.2million inpatient and outpatient appointments rescheduled.
Rory Deighton, director of the NHS Confederation’s Acute Network, said the NHS is ‘clearly struggling to cope’ as it battles one of the worst winters it has ever faced.
He said patients are ‘paying the price’ for the industrial dispute and warned severe weather is causing further difficulties, with staff forced to deal with the impact of flooding.
Health leaders today warned that the ‘double whammy’ of the surge in respiratory viruses and junior doctor strikes is a ‘perfect storm’ heaping pressure on the NHS. Pictured: striking junior doctors in the picket line outside Homerton Hospital in London yesterday
Junior doctors in their first year now have a basic pay of £32,300, while those with three years’ experience make £43,900. The most senior earn £63,100
Mr Deighton added: ‘Multiple trusts have declared critical incidents this week and our members are worried about how much capacity they have to deal with rising demand.’
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust declared a critical incident at 9am today, ‘due to the sustained pressure across the hospital, with high attendances to our emergency department over the last three days’.
It is among a number of hospitals that have declared critical incidents this week and have asked the public to rapidly collect relatives who are ready for discharge in order to free up beds for new arrivals.
Professor Julian Redhead, national clinical director for urgent and emergency care at NHS England, said the health service had started 2024 ‘in a very difficult position’, while praising the ‘incredible hard work’ of staff for dealing with rising levels of winter viruses on top of industrial action plus a spike in demand following Christmas bank holidays.
He added: ‘This latest round of strike action will not only have an impact on this week but will have an ongoing effect on the weeks and months ahead, as we struggle to recover services and cope with heavy demand.’
A number of hospitals have pleaded for medics to leave picket lines and get back to work due to safety concerns.
More than 20 such applications have been submitted to the BMA, with the majority rejected.
NHS England said it will compile a dossier of all patients who come to harm or suffer near misses as a result of the BMA rejections.
