The hospitals of England have witnessed their busiest week of the winter season until now. Every day, an average of more than 98,000 patients were in hospital beds last week… which is a record high for this season. Additionally, there was an alarming 96% occupancy of adult beds. Though the flu cases have declined a bit after their peak during January, the cases of Norovirus continue to climb. Almost a thousand beds were occupied by patients with this vomiting bug. This winter season has observed a record high number of nearly 13,800 patients in hospitals who are medically fit to be discharged.
The pressure on hospitals has increased due to the twin pressures of winter viruses and discharging issues. It has become challenging as hospitals are on the verge of being full, even as more beds have been opened to manage the increased demand. In the face of this unprecedented situation, the Emergency-care Director of NHS England, Prof Julian Redhead, urged people to use the National Health Service (NHS) services regularly. Additionally, he asked the public to seek online advice and support via 111 and only attend A&E or call 999 in life-threatening emergencies.
Hospitals struggling with increased demand have resulted in long delays in A&E and ambulance queues outside. The Royal College of Nursing had already warned of this issue in January, stating that lives were being put at risk due to corridor care. Saffron Cordery of NHS Providers – representing hospitals – said the last few months have been difficult. She expressed concern that the tireless efforts of trust leaders and frontline teams were failing to provide high-quality care and patients were not being seen quickly in such challenging circumstances.
Amy Douglas from the UK Health Security Agency stated that the UK is seeing Norovirus levels way above the usual. She urged the public to take necessary precautions to avoid the spread of this virus. The general public is advised to avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes, and to not return to work, school, or nursery until 48 hours after their symptoms have stopped. Also, they must not prepare food for others during this time as they can still pass on the virus in the days after they stop being sick
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