Health officials have declared that the NHS's proactive winter planning strategy is delivering tangible benefits for patients, with the latest figures showing a substantial 25% reduction in flu-related hospital admissions over a single week.
Significant Decline in Flu Cases
The most recent NHS statistics indicate that an average of 1,491 flu patients occupied hospital beds each day during the previous week. This represents a notable 25% decrease from the 1,987 patients recorded the week before. This marks the fourth consecutive week of declining flu hospitalisations, reaching the lowest level observed so far this winter season. The figures had previously peaked at 3,140 patients in the week leading up to December 14th.
Furthermore, the number of flu patients requiring critical care beds has also fallen, with 59 individuals in intensive care last week compared to 74 the previous week.
Norovirus Admissions Also Show Improvement
In a parallel positive development, hospital admissions for norovirus in England have decreased for the first time this year. An average of 904 hospital beds were occupied daily by patients with diarrhoea, vomiting, or norovirus-like symptoms last week. This figure is down 5% from the previous week's average of 950, which had been the highest recorded this winter. This week-on-week decline is the first observed since the end of December.
Ambulance Handover Times Continue to Improve
The data also reveals continued progress in reducing ambulance handover delays at hospital emergency departments. Last week, 29% of patients arriving by ambulance waited at least 30 minutes before being transferred to A&E teams. This is a slight improvement from 30% the previous week and represents the third consecutive weekly fall.
Additionally, the proportion of ambulance handovers delayed by more than an hour dropped to 9% last week, equivalent to 8,988 patients, down from 10% the week before.
Ongoing Challenges with Hospital Discharge
Despite these improvements, the NHS continues to face pressure from delayed patient discharges. An average of 13,714 hospital beds were occupied daily last week by patients deemed medically fit to leave. Although this figure is down from a peak of 14,005 patients the previous week, it remains the second highest level for delayed discharges recorded this winter.
Officials Credit Planning and Vaccination Campaigns
Professor Meghana Pandit, National Medical Director at NHS England, stated: "Early NHS preparation and planning for winter is paying off for patients. Patients are being handed over from ambulances quicker, even amid high demand on services – with more handovers last month than any January since before the pandemic."
The success is partly attributed to an extensive vaccination programme. NHS data shows that approximately 18.8 million flu jabs have been administered since the autumn/winter campaign began, around half-a-million more than at the same point last year.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting commented: "By planning for winter earlier than ever before, we're now seeing real improvements in urgent and emergency care. Ambulance response times and handovers are faster, the longest A&E delays are falling compared to last year, and flu is taking up fewer hospital beds."
He added: "We backed this with £450 million for urgent and emergency care, 500 new ambulances on the road, and millions of flu, Covid and RSV vaccinations to keep people well and out of hospital. Winter pressures haven't disappeared, but we're learning from this season to strengthen our response further and break the cycle of struggle the NHS faces each winter."
Vaccination Remains a Key Priority
Professor Pandit emphasised the ongoing importance of vaccination, noting: "Higher vaccination rates are helping to limit the impact of winter viruses like flu, though cases of the vomiting bug are still high in hospitals, which staff are working extremely hard to keep under control. Vaccinations remain the best protection available from seasonal viruses, so if you are eligible for your flu, Covid or RSV jab please come forward."
This week, officials also announced an expansion of the NHS vaccine programme for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) to include people aged 80 and over. The jab was initially introduced in September 2024 for adults turning 75 and pregnant women from 28 weeks to protect newborns, with a catch-up programme for those aged 75 to 79. Ministers stated this expansion aims to protect those most vulnerable to the illness.
