Norovirus surge pushing hospitals to busiest January since before Covid

A sharp rise in norovirus cases is pushing hospital bed occupancy in England to its highest January levels since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

New figures published today show that general and acute bed occupancy reached 94.5% in the week ending 18 January – the busiest mid-January period recorded since 2020, when occupancy stood at 95%.

The increased pressure has been driven in part by a surge in norovirus, commonly referred to as the ‘vomiting bug’, with further strain expected as colder weather is forecast for the coming days and into next week.

Data shows an average of 823 patients were hospitalised with norovirus each day last week, the highest figure so far this winter.

This represents a 45% increase on the previous week and is more than double the number reported just two weeks earlier, when daily cases averaged 361.

Despite rising demand, NHS leaders have pointed to some improvements in patient flow and performance indicators compared with previous winters, crediting continued efforts from frontline staff.

Improving ambulance services

Average ambulance handover times last week fell to 37 minutes and 22 seconds, more than five minutes faster than the previous week’s average of 42 minutes and 51 seconds.

In addition, A&E performance data published last week showed that 73.8% of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours in December, marking the strongest performance for this metric in five years.

Another cold snap predicted

NHS national medical director Professor Meghana Pandit said the service was closely monitoring norovirus trends, noting that cases did not peak until February last winter.

‘A rise in this vomiting virus is leaving hospitals under pressure, and with another cold snap predicted this weekend, we are preparing for further increases,’ she said.

‘However, despite these pressures, we are seeing shorter waiting times for patients than in previous winters. This reflects the incredible hard work of NHS staff and the early and detailed preparation undertaken ahead of winter.’

Professor Pandit also urged patients to continue seeking care when needed and reminded the public of infection prevention measures, including regular handwashing with soap and water and avoiding work, school or hospital visits until 48 hours after symptoms have resolved.

‘Pressures remain high’

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged that pressures remain high but highlighted recent investment aimed at supporting urgent and emergency care services.

He said NHS teams had ‘gone above and beyond’ during the winter period, supported by £450m in funding to expand urgent and emergency care capacity and the deployment of 500 additional ambulances.

‘Pressures remain high and we know another cold snap is on the way. I urge people to remain vigilant, follow the latest public health advice to keep you and your loved ones safe,’ Mr Streeting added.

Yesterday, Age UK released new data revealing the ‘devastating’ impact of corridor care on older people has prompted fresh calls for investment into services in the community and social care.

Last week, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warned that corridor care is pushing staff morale ‘to the point of no return’, with some nurses describing the conditions patients endure as akin to ‘torture.

In December, the RCN general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, warned that nursing staff were ‘deeply worried’ about the rising pressures on hospitals and impact on patient care.