A wave of norovirus and flu cases is putting the NHS under ‘extraordinary pressure’, while thousands of patients who no longer need to be on wards languish in beds waiting to go home.
England’s top doctor has condemned the NHS’ current status ahead of yet another ‘extremely challenging week’. Hospitals could lose up to half of their medical workforce for a 96-hour strike from Tuesday to Saturday next week as junior doctors take industrial action over pay and working conditions.
The NHS’s national medical director shared concerns about the norovirus and flu cases putting a strain on services with hundreds of patients in hospital, more than 7,000 people in hospital with Covid, and some 13,000 beds being taken up by patients no longer needing to be in hospital.
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In the week leading up to April 2, the number of adult beds taken up by patients with norovirus symptoms was 370. Last year the same figure was 188.
NHS national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “NHS staff continue to face extraordinary pressure, with over 13,000 beds being taken up by patients who no longer need to be in hospital every day last week and more than 19 out of 20 adult beds occupied.
“Norovirus and flu cases have continued to put strain on services with hundreds of patients in hospital beds across the country, and a further 7,556 in hospital with Covid, while our NHS 111 service received over 440,000 calls last week alone.”
In Greater Manchester, as of 27 March, there were 858 people medically fit for discharge in hospital. That figure translates to just short of one-fifth of Greater Manchester’s approximate 5,000 hospital beds across the region.
Patients who are well enough to go home are facing severe delays amid staffing shortages in the social care sector. That means they cannot be safely discharged as there are not enough social care staff available to look after them in a residential or care home, or in the homes of patients themselves.
Easter weekend will likely see more complications for the NHS as services are stretched thin over the bank holiday Friday and Monday. But the professor warned that next week will likely be even worse, as tens of thousands of junior doctors go on strike on Tuesday.
“There is no doubt that next week will be even more challenging for NHS services, with the pressures caused by a bank holiday weekend combined with four days of industrial action – where, for 96 hours, hospitals will be without up to half of the medical workforce,” continued the doctor.
“To help the NHS limit disruption as much as we can through what will be an extremely challenging week, please continue to use services by calling 999 in life-threatening emergencies only and using 111 for other urgent health conditions.
“Some pharmacies, GP practices and dentists may be closed for the long weekend, so it is also important to plan ahead to ensure you can get the help you need and are able to enjoy this Easter period.”
The fallout of the strikes on planned procedures, such as joint replacements, could be even more sweeping than the last round of strikes, one union chief has said. Dr Naru Narayanan, the President of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, whose members will be on strike next week, told the Manchester Evening News today (April 6): “This weekend and during the strikes next week, emergency and urgent care will still be going ahead. Colleagues have given up their annual leave to come and cover the junior doctors who will be striking.
“Patients should be assured that they will be looked after. But electives will be affected, during the last set of strikes there were 175,000 elective appointments affected - this time we’re looking at a quarter of a million.
“That is a significant disruption to people’s lives. I can’t even begin to say how sorry I am to those patients. But this is of the government’s own making, we haven’t seen any more movement in the negotiations, recent discussions have not gone anywhere.
“I have had helpful conversations with Will Quince, the health minister, but I put the ball back in the government’s court. Both parties need to concede some ground to make a win-win situation.
“If that doesn’t happen, it will just be a lose-lose, not least for the patients.”
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