The number of people in hospital with norovirus has hit a new high in England this winter, as the NHS continues to face “sustained pressure”, health leaders have said.
An average of 950 hospital beds were filled by people with norovirus-like symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting each day last week.
The figure is up 15% from the previous week’s average of 823 patients. It is also higher than the figure at the same time last year.
Meanwhile, the number of people in hospital with flu has fallen to the lowest level in almost two months, the latest weekly snapshot of hospital performance shows.
An average of 1,987 flu patients were in hospital each day in the week ending 25 January, down 21% from the previous week.
The number peaked at 3,140 in the week ending 14 December.
It marks the lowest figure since the week ending 30 November, when the number stood at 1,717.
There were 74 flu patients in critical care beds last week, down from 82 the previous week.
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England’s national medical director, said: “Hospitals continue to face sustained pressure from viruses and other demands, but NHS staff have worked hard to tackle winter head-on and it looks like this is having an impact.”
The proportion of people experiencing long waits in ambulances outside hospitals before being handed to A&E teams also fell, the NHS situation report said.
The number of patients waiting at least 30 minutes to be handed over was also down from 33% last week to 30% this week.
However, 10% of ambulance handovers were delayed by more than an hour, down from 12% the week before.
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“The NHS prepared earlier for winter than ever before and it is reassuring to see an improvement on ambulance handover times and fewer patients in hospital with flu than in previous years – in part thanks to staff delivering half a million more vaccinations than at the same point last year,” Professor Pandit said.
“Seasonal viruses continue to cause disruption and take up hospital beds, with cases of the winter vomiting bug triple what they were at the start of the month.
“You can prevent the spread of norovirus by frequent handwashing with soap and water and not returning to work, school or visiting hospitals until you are 48 hours symptom-free.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This winter has pushed the NHS hard, but staff are delivering.
“Ambulances are handing over faster, delays are coming down, and flu is taking up fewer hospital beds than last year, even with demand running at near-record levels.
“That’s real progress, driven by the dedication of frontline staff and better preparation than ever before.
“Winter pressures haven’t gone away, but the NHS is meeting them head-on.”
