The NHS is facing a “tidal wave” of illness ahead of Christmas as flu cases reach the highest on record for this time of year, health chiefs have warned.
Every day last week 1,717 patients were admitted to hospitals in England with the infection, up 56 per cent on the same week last year, according to NHS England.
Data suggests the UK could be facing the worst flu season in decades, putting pressure on hospitals just as resident doctors are set to stage another five-day strike over pay and conditions. Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) are set to walk out from 17 to 22 December after the union accused the government of failing to make “sufficient progress towards a viable deal on jobs and pay”.
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, called the strike “irresponsible”, warning that the dates, just before the Christmas bank holidays and when the NHS is often in the midst of a “winter crisis”, represented a “different magnitude of risk” to previous industrial action.
NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey branded the decision by doctors to strike as “something that feels cruel” and which is “calculated to cause mayhem at a time when the service is really pulling all the stops out to try and avoid that and keep people safe”.
Speaking at a board meeting on Thursday, Sir Jim said the planned strike action had caused “a genuine and palpable feeling of anger, frustration and exasperation” among colleagues, adding: “I really do hope we can find a way of avoiding this.”
The latest flu figures have been published by the NHS to show the performance of hospitals in England this winter. They are seven times as high as in 2023, when there was an average of 243 flu patients a day.
Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “The NHS is facing a tidal wave of flu. It’s very worrying to see the figures at a record high for the time of year — and still heading up. That’s alongside all the other winter bugs piling the pressure on the NHS.
“The last thing anyone needs now is the prospect of another strike by resident doctors bringing yet more disruption and distress for patients. We urge the BMA to see sense, get round the table with the government and end the dispute so we can have all hands on deck in the lead-up to Christmas.”
This year’s flu season started earlier than usual and is yet to reach a peak, meaning pressure on hospitals is likely to grow in the run-up to Christmas.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King’s Fund, said: “Today’s data confirms that the NHS is entering the most challenging period of the year, with pressures hitting the health and care service from all directions. Rising flu waves and industrial action are all adding strain to a system which is already struggling to deliver timely care for patients. The flu season started unusually early this year and is yet to peak, so it is too soon to know how long this surge will be sustained for.”
Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national medical director for urgent and emergency care, said flu cases were now “incredibly high” and that the latest figures “confirm our deepest concerns: the health service is bracing for an unprecedented flu wave this winter.
“The NHS has prepared earlier for winter than ever before, but despite that, we know that ballooning flu cases coinciding with strikes may stretch our staff close to breaking point in the coming weeks.
“With just a couple of weeks left to ensure maximum immunity from flu for Christmas Day, I urge anyone eligible to come forward to get their jab.”
