Surge in norovirus cases as senior doctors warn of 'carnage' on wards

The number of people seeking hospital treatment for the winter vomiting bug has risen by almost 70 per cent in just one week.

The NHS figures reveal 1,336 hospital beds have been taken by people suffering from norovirus, a sharp rise from the 790 the previous week.

The surge comes amid warnings from senior doctors of “carnage” in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments as winter bites.

Latest figures show 25 A&E departments turning away patients in the week just ended, compared with 11 the week before.

Meanwhile the number of ambulances delayed for at least an hour has risen by 27 per cent in a week.

Experts said the spike in cases of norovirus was adding to pressures on beds, with average bed occupancy levels now at 94.6 per cent - far above recommended rates of 85 per cent.

And monthly figures for November show A&E waiting times the worst they have been since February.

Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said hospitals were "imploding" with "carnage on the ground" as cold weather bites.

"When we talk about the NHS at the moment, all we can say and see is pressure, pressure and more pressure - the system is on a knife-edge," he said.

"Some hospitals are already cancelling planned surgery and that is something patients will face increasingly over the winter months."

Norovirus, commonly known as the winter vomiting bug, is highly contagious and can quickly spread through schools and offices.Symptoms can also include a slight fever, headaches, painful stomach cramps and aches and pains.

Doctors advise sufferers to stay at home and get plenty of rest.

The latest figures only cover those admitted to hospital - a small proportion of overall cases, used to track likely levels of infection across the population.

While 69 hospitals have recorded outbreaks so far this winter, overall, lab reports suggest rates remain lower than the five year average for this time of year.

Nick Phin, National Infection Service deputy director at Public Health England said: "Norovirus can be unpleasant and is easily passed on to those around you."

"Most people get over it within a day or two, but in the very young, elderly and those who have weakened immune systems it can last longer.

"It is easy to get dehydrated, so it's important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent this.

"We advise you should avoid visiting GP surgeries, care homes and hospitals if you have symptoms," he added.

The latest statistics show just 88.9 per cent of patients were seen within four hours in A&E departments in November - the lowest figure since February - as the arrival of winter put further pressure on the NHS.

NHS England said there were 512,962 emergency admissions last month, 4.8 per cent higher than the same month last year.

Of these, 48,339 patients waited more than four hours, with 109 waiting over 12 hours.

The operational standard for A&E waiting times is that 95 per cent of patients should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of arrival at an A&E department. This has not been met since July 2015.

Weekly NHS data showed  2,340 ambulance delays of more than 60 minutes,  in the seven days which ended on Monday - up from 1,840 the previous week.

In total, almost 12,000 patients suffered delays of at least thirty minutes.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the sharp rise in ambulance delays was “shocking”.

"Last week's cold snap demonstrated once again the crisis facing our NHS this winter and Government inaction will only make the challenge facing the NHS that much harder,” he said.

An NHS England spokesman said: "A&E four-hour performance in November is now better than the same time last year, despite an extra 85,000 more patients being successfully treated in under four hours.

"There has also been progress on reducing delayed transfers of care, with more than 1,000 beds freed up compared with last winter.

Janet Davies, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said: "All this points to overflowing hospitals unable to discharge patients quickly enough.

"The Government shouldn't shrug today's figures off as yet more statistics - behind every one is a person waiting too long, often in pain and discomfort."

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Average general and acute bed occupancy is running close to 95 per cent, well above recommended safe levels.

“We also saw a sharp rise in the number of A & E diverts, and an increase in ambulance handover delays.

“There was also a marked jump in the number of beds closed because of norovirus.”