NHS winter pressure shows no signs of fading

The winter pressure on the NHS shows no signs of fading as ambulance diverts are at their highest point this winter, official figures show.

Some 43 ambulances were turned away by busy A&E units and sent elsewhere last week – the highest level recorded so far this winter.

NHS England statistics revealed this total is more than double the 20 incidents that were noted across the country the previous week – and two more than last winter, which was branded a ‘humanitarian crisis’.

It said a broken CT scanner at one hospital accounted for many of these as patients had to be sent to other hospitals further away.

Bed occupancy levels remain worryingly high and thousands of patients are being forced to wait in ambulances outside casualty units. 

Health officials have blamed the relentless pressure on a surge in cases of flu, with 155 confirmed flu-related deaths so far this winter in England.

Leading doctors and nurses have slammed the statistics, and warned the crisis will continue ‘well beyond winter’ unless more beds become free.

The figures, released today, come after hospitals were found to be hiring paramedics to treat people inside A&E as they struggle to cope with demand.

The statistics showed 11,100 patients were forced to wait outside A&E departments in the back of ambulances for most than half an hour last week.

Of these, 2,100 patients had to wait more than an hour to be seen after arriving at hospitals in England in the week ending January 28.

This is up from the 11,000 delays recorded the previous week – but down on the end of December when the total breached 17,000.   

The overall bed occupancy rate was 95.1 per cent – well above the recommended safe levels of 85 per cent, according to data from all 137 trusts in England.

This figure has been consistently at high levels since New Year’s Eve, when it made a significant jump from 91.7 per cent.

Figures showed 17 hospital trusts had no free beds on at least one day during the latest week, which started January 22.

NHS data shows a fall in the number of bed closures due to norovirus or diarrhoea and vomiting, from an average of 742 per day to 672.

However, reports of norovirus remain above the five-year average for this week. 

Commenting on the figures, Nick Scriven, president of the Society of Acute Medicine, pressure is ‘now being felt’. 

Donna Kinnair, director of nursing, policy and practice at the Royal College of Nursing, said many trusts are desperate to open more beds.

However, she warned the recruitment crisis means they ‘simply don’t have enough nurses to staff them’. 

She added: ‘Unless hospitals can free up more beds, the current crisis is going to continue well beyond the winter.’ 

A NHS England spokesperson said: ‘Raised levels of flu and norovirus cases continued to put pressure on busy hospitals and other frontline services last week.

‘And while the NHS is generally coping with ongoing winter demands, the public can continue to play their part by using NHS 111 and pharmacists for advice.’ 

HOW MUCH PRESSURE WAS THE NHS UNDER DURING THE ‘HUMANITARIAN CRISIS’ OF 2016?

The NHS endured its worst ever winter crisis, with waiting times, cancelled operations and bed-blocking running at, or near, record levels last year.

Official figures illustrated the scale of the scale of the turmoil to engulf the health service in the face of unprecedented pressures.

Bed-blocking due to a lack of social care places was at a record high with more than 2,500 health patients prevented from leaving hospitals each day – specifically because there is nowhere for them to go.

Statistics from NHS England report also revealed nearly 200,000 patients waited at least four hours in A&E between the winter months of December to February – a five-fold increase from just 41,000 five years previously.

Supporters of the NHS reacted in fury after the Red Cross claimed hospitals were facing a ‘humanitarian crisis’ after its worst week in 15 years

Extreme waiting times also reached record levels, as nearly 2,000 patients were forced to wait at least 12 hours in A&E over the same period.

And cancer referral rates in February were at their second lowest level on record. 

Supporters of the NHS reacted in fury after the Red Cross claimed hospitals were facing a ‘humanitarian crisis’ after its worst winter in 15 years.

The charity said it stepped in to help the NHS in England to deal with the increased demand during the winter, but have been hit with criticism accusing them of overstating the issue.

It comes as it emerged that two patients died on trolleys in Worcestershire Royal Hospital’s accident and emergency department in January.