Responding to the latest urgent and emergency care situation report published by NHS England, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said:   

“Despite the continued drop in flu levels, the rise of patients with norovirus – reaching a new seasonal peak of 1,043 last week – shows that the NHS is still under immense pressure.  

“The cocktail of seasonal viruses sweeping the country a few weeks ago was causing real concerns, with health leaders and their teams facing mounting demand for care. So, it is a relief to see some of that pressure easing, even if the health service is not out of the woods yet.  

“While there has also been a welcome drop in the number of patients medically fit enough to be discharged stuck in hospital beds, our members still report ongoing pressure on social care affecting the flow of patients through hospitals. And the increase in the number of ambulance handover delays that took longer than 30 minutes is worrying.

“Yet again it has been another tough winter, with NHS leaders and their staff working round the clock to provide care and keep patients safe. Rising numbers of patients taking up beds due to norovirus-like symptoms can have a huge impact on hospital capacity, with staff having to close wards or bays to stop the spread of infection or to be deep cleaned.  

“The pressure on patient flow continues to be a core issue and we look forward to the government addressing this in its upcoming ten-year health plan and urgent and emergency care recovery plan. The need for investment in the social care sector ahead of next winter, as well as creating improved mechanisms to pool NHS funding with local government colleagues, is clear.”