Flu Patients Occupied Nearly 10% of North East Hospital Beds This Holiday
Flu cases surged over Christmas, filling nearly one in ten hospital beds in the North East, causing significant strain on the NHS.
Flu, North East, NHS, Hospital Beds, Christmas, New Year
Newcastle: Over Christmas and New Year, flu patients filled almost one in ten hospital beds in the North East. This surge put a lot of pressure on local health services.
In late December, eight percent of general and acute hospital beds were occupied by flu patients. This is much higher than the national average of five percent.
Jacqueline Myers, a health official, noted that December was tough for hospitals. There were more ambulance delays and longer waits in emergency departments. The main issue was the high number of flu cases.
Compared to last year, the number of flu patients in hospitals more than doubled. The North East faced more challenges than other regions in England during this time.
Despite having fewer overall bed occupancies, the health service struggled to find suitable beds for flu patients. Ms. Myers highlighted the hard work of NHS staff in managing this situation.
After a peak in flu cases around New Year, the number of flu patients in hospitals has decreased. On January 2, there were 423 confirmed flu patients, but that number has dropped to 180.
This winter, flu has combined with other viruses, creating a “quad-demic” situation. To help, “respiratory hubs” have been set up and will stay open through February, funded by £1.5 million from the NHS.