Flu peak is yet to come, top doctor warns as hospitals are 'full to bursting'

A senior NHS clinician has raised the alarm that the worst of the flu season is still ahead, as hospital wards throughout England are overwhelmed to capacity.

This comes amid reports of several NHS trusts declaring critical incidents due to relentless pressures on A&E departments, resulting in patients receiving care in corridors and one individual enduring a 50-hour wait for ward admission.

In an effort to curb virus transmission, some hospitals have limited visitor access, while others are advising the use of surgical masks. Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, has indicated that approximately 5,000 patients are currently hospitalised with flu in England.

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He said: “Wards are now full to bursting and that pressure is feeding back into A&E departments, with patients being treated in environments not usually used for clinical care. Most patients would recognise when they’re being treated in a corridor but those aren’t the environments we would want to treat patients in. That is difficult for colleagues and patients who are treated in that environment.”

Prof Redhead added that there is “some evidence” the flu season may be peaking, but warned: “We’ve also got schools going back and that can cause different social mixing.”

Leading nurses have expressed their concern, stating that "the prospect of the situation worsening will fill nursing staff with dread," as they advocate for mandatory reporting of corridor care. In recent times, hospitals across Northamptonshire, Cornwall, Liverpool, Hampshire, Birmingham, and Plymouth have announced critical incidents.

Data expected to be released later this week is anticipated to show another surge in hospital admissions due to flu. Prof Redhead noted that "in general, most patients coming into hospital are elderly", but there are also younger patients with chronic conditions such as asthma seeking treatment.

Patricia Marquis, executive director for England for the Royal College of Nursing, said: "Nursing staff are doing their best to hold the service together, but their job is nigh-on impossible in an overwhelmed system. Patients are lining corridors up and down the country and top NHS doctors admit care standards are failing."

She added that the potential for the situation to worsen would fill already exhausted nursing staff with dread and called on ministers to introduce system-wide reporting of all instances of care in places like corridors to fully understand the scale of the crisis.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting admitted on Tuesday that he felt "distressed and ashamed" when hearing about some of the experiences patients are facing in the NHS. It was reported that at least one patient at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital had to wait for more than two days in A&E.

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday about the pressures facing the NHS. She revealed that flu cases are 246% higher than last year and praised the efforts of NHS staff, saying they "are putting in absolutely valiant effort in order to keep patients safe". She also highlighted the long-standing challenges faced by the NHS, including workforce shortages, the need for social care reform and investment, and a greater focus on prevention.

Patients with non-urgent conditions have been advised they could face lengthy delays in A&E departments and are being encouraged to "consider other options" such as contacting their GP, visiting a pharmacy or calling NHS 111. Despite this, Ms Cordery has stressed that those experiencing a life-threatening emergency should not hesitate to dial 999.