It’s Flu-maggedon: Hospitalisations continue to soar a fifth in a week… but the doctors are still striking

Hospital flu cases have again hit a record high, amid an outbreak of ‘superflu’. 

Surveillance programmes that monitor England’s outbreak suggest flu hospital admissions are up almost a fifth on last week.

Figures show more than 3,100 beds alone were taken up by flu patients every day last week, the highest ever for this time of year.

Of these, 128 were in critical care beds, up a fifth on the 106 logged last week. 

At this point in 2024, the number of flu hospitalisations in England stood at 2,629 patients, while in 2023 it was just 648. 

Yet, Sir Jim Mackie, NHS England chief executive, yesterday told MPs that while it’s ‘still early days’, flu admissions ‘might be starting to settle in some parts of the country’.

Hospitals, however, are still under pressure from rising levels of the winter vomiting bug norovirus, which are also up a fifth on the previous week.

England’s top doctor today said that despite the slowing in flu cases, the heath service is ‘not out of the woods yet’. 

But it comes as resident doctors — formerly known as junior doctors — yesterday took to the picket lines for the first of their five-day walkout over pay and working conditions. 

It is the medics 14th round of industrial action since 2023, in pursuit of a 26 per cent pay rise. 

The British Medical Association (BMA) has rebuffed calls to go to arbitration with the Government in a dispute which has grown increasingly bitter. 

Officials have warned as many as 70,000 operations and appointments could be axed between now and Monday, when the strike ends. 

Thousands of patients have been told to expect disruption as up to half of England’s medical workforce could stop working.

Health bosses said patients are ‘likely to feel the [strike’s] impact’ amid a flu sweeping across Britain.

Meghana Pandit, NHS National Medical Director, today said: ‘While some parts of the country will be breathing a sigh of relief with flu cases not rising as quickly as feared, we are nowhere near out of the woods yet.

‘Combined with the impact of strikes, a stream of winter viruses means many hospitals will be on high alert in the days ahead.

‘But it remains vital that people continue to come forward for NHS care as normal.

‘If you need urgent help, dial 999 in an emergency, or use NHS 111 for other care needs.

‘And if you are eligible, please come forward for a jab, it’s not too late.’

Health secretary West Streeting added: ‘Flu continues to put significant strain on the NHS, with record numbers of patients in hospital, and frontline services remaining under enormous pressure. 

‘I’m appealing to the public to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting your flu jab.

‘I want to thank NHS staff who are going above and beyond at the toughest time of year. 

‘Thanks to their hard work and careful planning, ambulance handovers are around eight minutes quicker than this time last year.

‘The BMA’s regrettable decision to pursue strike action at this critical moment is piling on the pressure, but the NHS team has responded brilliantly to keep the show on the road. 

‘Our entire focus is on keeping patients safe through the strikes and this peak period for the NHS.’

Yesterday, shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew claimed he has heard from patients ‘worried’ for their lives amid strike action.

He told Sky News the walkout, which started at 7am yesterday, is ‘really irresponsible’ amid surging cases of flu.

‘These are real people who are expecting to have treatment that they’ve been preparing for, for some time. We’ve been getting messages from all over the country.

‘A woman contacted to say her cancer treatment is not going to happen over these next five days, and in her own words, she says, ‘I’m worried for my life’.

‘And that’s the thing that really worries me.

‘I just wish that the BMA would behave better, get their members back into those hospitals where they’re needed, but I do thank those resident doctors that haven’t actually gone back to work to help out in this very difficult circumstance.’

The troublesome mutant H3N2 flu strain is believed to be behind the spike in flu cases.

Dubbed subclade K or the ‘super flu’, it mutated seven times over the summer,  helping it to evade previous immunity and is believed to affect the elderly more.

According to the fresh NHS figures, hospital flu cases were up 39 per cent in the East of England and 40 per cent in the South West.

The high levels of respiratory viruses in hospital have seen beds fill up quickly, with 94.2 per cent occupied each day last week on average. 

However, in the North West, cases fell by 4 per cent over the past week.

This slowing is thought to be due to higher vaccination rates and the public taking additional steps to protect elderly and vulnerable people, health leaders said. 

Since September, health officials have urged the millions eligible to come forward for their Covid and flu jabs, to reduce their risk of becoming severely unwell and needing hospital care.

Bosses last week also issued an urgent plea to parents to get their children vaccinated against flu in a bid to protect their grandparents at Christmas.

People who are aged over 65, those with long term health conditions, pregnant women, care home residents and carers are eligible for a free jab.

Children aged from two to 17 are eligible for free flu vaccination on the NHS, usually in the form of a nasal spray, with GPs offering them for those aged two and three. 

But Wes Streeting has also declared there is no need for a mask-wearing mandate ‘at this stage’.