NHS FLU CRISIS: Doctors warn soaring cases coinciding with severe cold weather could be 'the straw that breaks the camel's back' for crisis-hit health service - as nine hospitals declare critical inci

More than a dozen hospitals have declared ‘critical incidents’ as the flu outbreak worsens. East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust also declared the first critical incident in its history due to a combination of ‘significant patient demand, pressure within local hospitals and flooding’. ‘They go to work, they slog their guts out, and it’s very distressing for them seeing people in this condition.’ Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive at NHS Providers, said: ‘Wards and A&Es have been under relentless pressure, with a knock-on effect on ambulance hand-overs, but NHS staff and trust leaders keep doing everything they can to see patients as quickly as possible.’ Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: ‘It is a significant flu outbreak, but the problem is there’s just no capacity to deal with it. Dr Ed Smith, of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘While we understand it’s appropriate for a friend or family member to accompany with a child or as a carer, for example, if patients can attend alone, this will help free up much needed space for other patients.’ Meanwhile, in Scotland, hospitals are struggling with the pressures of extreme weather and an ‘extraordinary surge’ in flu, with some departments nearing 400 per cent capacity and patients receiving ‘unsafe care’. Ambulances are seen parked outside a London hospital on December 27, 2024 in London, England Ambulances outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital on January 7 NHS Grampian declared a critical incident in November that saw some ambulance patients diverted to hospitals outside the health board area, and shortly before Christmas the Scottish Ambulance Service put crews on its highest level of emergency due to ‘significant pressure’.