Drop in flu levels welcome but cold snap could pile pressure on the NHS

Responding to the latest NHS England urgent and emergency care situation reports, Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said:

“The continued fall in flu levels is welcome after the very early sharp spike in cases, as is the drop in delayed discharges. This is due in part to NHS leaders and their teams working incredibly hard to get as many patients as possible home for Christmas.

“However, this does not mean the pressure on the NHS is easing.

“Demand for NHS care remains high, with 24,000 more calls to 111 than the previous week and thousands of hospital beds still taken up by patients with flu and other seasonal viruses. 

“With plummeting temperatures and ice and snow expected in the coming days, this could pile more pressure on services. This cold snap comes as the NHS enters what are traditionally some of the busiest weeks of the year and there is the risk that flu levels could climb further as children go back to school and people return to work. 

“Health leaders and their teams will be doing everything they can to ensure patients are kept safe over the next few weeks.”