Four NHS hospital trusts in southeast England have declared a 'critical incident' as they struggle to cope with a surge in admissions due to flu and norovirus. The trusts, three in Surrey and one in Kent, said the escalation follows a 'surge in complex attendances to A&E departments' driven by rising numbers of patients with winter illnesses.
Health secretary Wes Streeting warned that the NHS is 'not out of the woods yet', as flu cases spiked again last week after a brief decline following high numbers before Christmas. NHS Surrey Heartlands said the situation has been exacerbated by increases in flu and norovirus cases, a rise in staff sickness, and the impact of the recent cold snap on frail patients.
The affected trusts are Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. East Kent said its hospitals are experiencing 'exceptionally high demand' due to continued high admission rates and a large number of patients with winter illnesses and respiratory viruses.
Dr Charlotte Canniff, joint chief medical officer of NHS Surrey Heartlands, urged patients to use services appropriately and only attend A&E in an emergency. 'Making sure you use services appropriately ... is essential at this time, allowing our emergency departments to focus on those who really need their care,' she said. Essential services remain open, but some non-urgent appointments may be affected.
Data from December suggested the UK could face its worst flu season in decades, with 1,717 patients admitted in the first week of December, up 56 per cent on the same week in 2024. However, Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund, said figures have since dropped and are now 'slightly better' than expected. She praised NHS staff for working 'around the clock' to prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed, but warned the pressure is not sustainable.
