The flu outbreak appears to be levelling off but hospitals and GPs are still seeing thousands of cases a week.
GP visits for suspected flu rose only 2 per cent last week after a surge since the start of the month. Admissions to hospital fell 14 per cent last week, to about 4,000. However, 20 more deaths have been confirmed, meaning that at least 155 people are known to have died of flu this winter. Doctors said that it was too soon to know whether the outbreak had peaked.
Hospitals remain dangerously full, with a steep rise in norovirus increasing the pressure. Wards were 94.8 per cent full last week, barely down from the week before.
Janet Davies, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The shortage of beds is leaving the NHS sailing dangerously close to the wind. When the NHS is under so much pressure, every single bed counts.”
Family doctors estimate that they saw 31,000 people with flu-like symptoms last week. Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Whilst influenza rates have levelled out for now, this means that there are still huge numbers of patients being seen in general practice with flu and other common winter conditions.”