Covid-19 and flu pile pressure on hospitals: admissions double in a fortnight amid devastating six-day strike by trainee doctors

The number of hospital admissions from Covid and flu in England has doubled in just two weeks, official figures show.

NHS data shows that almost 4,000 Covid patients went to bed in the week to December 31, an increase of more than two-thirds since the start of December.

Meanwhile, more than a thousand flu patients were in hospital every day, twice as many as fourteen days earlier.

Health leaders today warned that the 'double whammy' of the wave of respiratory viruses and junior doctors' strikes is a 'perfect storm' putting pressure on the NHS.

The medics are in the middle of a devastating six-day strike, with around 200,000 appointments expected to be cancelled.

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, urged the government and the British Medical Association (BMA) to end their dispute in the interests of patients and staff, who are suffering intolerable stress.

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The NHS data provides a snapshot of the pressure on hospitals in the week to December 31, a time when the health service was finalizing contingency plans to deal with the strikes.

The number of hospital patients who tested positive for Covid increased for the fifth week in a row.

In the week to New Year's Eve, an average of 3,929 Covid patients went to bed every day, an increase of eight percent on the previous week and 68 percent more than at the beginning of December.

According to NHS England, an average of 1,312 people were in hospital with flu every day last week, including 81 in intensive care beds.

The total is over a third (39 percent) higher than the 942 recorded 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 Britain was in the middle of its worst flu season for a decade.

However, levels of the winter vomiting virus norovirus fell by 16 percent in a week, occupying an average of 377 adult hospital beds, compared to 451 the week before.

Sir Julian said the new data shows that 'significant pressure continues to build across the healthcare system'.

“The effects of a six-day strike by junior doctors this week, on the heels of a three-day strike before Christmas, will be felt across the already hard-pressed NHS,” he added.

'In winter, which is guaranteed to be one of the busiest times of year for the NHS, a double wave of strikes on top of ongoing pressures, including increased hospital admissions from Covid-19, is a perfect storm.

'Long-term, severe staff shortages – currently with more than 121,000 vacancies across NHS trusts in England – mean staff morale is low as the heavy workload takes its toll.

'At last count, stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions were responsible for more than 27 per cent of all sick leave in the NHS.

'The government and unions must act quickly to resolve this long-running dispute and prevent further strikes in the interests of patients and staff.'

The latest industrial action by trainee doctors started at 7am on Wednesday and will run until 7am next Tuesday. It follows a 72-hour strike in the week before Christmas.

Both strikes are part of a long-running dispute over wages, which has already caused 1.2 million hospital and outpatient appointments to be 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 experienced.

He said patients were “paying the price” for the industrial dispute and warned that severe weather would cause further problems, with staff forced to deal with the impact of flooding.

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Junior doctors in their first year now have a basic salary of £32,300, while those with three years' experience earn £43,900. The oldest earn £63,100

Mr Deighton added: 'Multiple trusts have reported critical incidents this week and our members are concerned about the amount of capacity they have to meet rising demand.'

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust declared a critical incident at 9am today, 'due to continued pressure in the hospital, with high attendances in our emergency department over the last three days'.

It is among hospitals that reported critical incidents this week and asked the public to quickly pick up family members ready for discharge to free up beds for new arrivals.

Professor Julian Redhead, national clinical director for emergency care at NHS England, said the health service had started 2024 'in a very difficult position' as he praised the 'incredible hard work' of staff in dealing with rising levels of winter viruses on top of industrial action plus a peak in demand after the Christmas holidays.

He added: 'This latest round of strike action will not only impact this week, but will have a lasting impact on the weeks and months ahead as we struggle to restore services and cope with high demand to offer.'

Some hospitals have called on medics to leave the picket lines and return to work due to safety concerns.

More than twenty such applications have been submitted to the BMA, the majority of which have been rejected.

NHS England said it will compile a file of all patients who suffer harm or near misses as a result of the BMA rejections.