Record number of norovirus patients in hospital

Hospitals in the North West have been hit by a storm of norovirus infections recently as the number of beds taken up by patients with the virus across England reached a record high last week.

In the North West, an average of 72 patients a day were in hospital with norovirus over the last two weeks. This figure is more than double the same period last year (31).

Meanwhile, across the country, an average 1,160 patients a day were in hospital with the virus last week – a 22% surge on the previous week (948) and more than double the same period last year (509).

Health professionals at NHS England North West are calling on the public to visit the NHS.uk webpage on norovirus for useful information, including symptoms, how to treat it, and how to stop it spreading.

NHS England North West’s Regional Medical Director, Dr Michael Gregory said: “Cases of Norovirus are still high and continue to rise nationally. It is half term and we’re hoping this will provide a break. However, it’s important we all take steps to avoid passing on the infections. The bug remains high in settings like hospitals and care homes, and can be more severe in older adults, younger children and those who are immunocompromised.

“Please do not visit hospitals and care homes or return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don’t prepare food for others as you can still pass on the virus.

“NHS 111 is an excellent option for healthcare support and advice on non-emergency health problems. It can direct you to the most appropriate local treatment, whether that’s your GP, a pharmacy, a callback from a nurse, or an urgent walk-in treatment centre. However, in an emergency, such as when someone is seriously ill or injured, people should still call 999 or visit A&E.”

Dr Gregory also underlined the importance of handwashing and other simple ways to prevent the spread of norovirus – commonly called winter vomiting bug. 

“I’d like to remind everyone to practise good hygiene by washing hands frequently with soap and warm water, especially after using the toilet, cleaning up after illness, or before preparing food,” he added.

Norovirus symptoms, including vomiting and diarrhoea, usually resolve within two to three days, but the virus can pose a greater risk to vulnerable groups, such as young children and older adults.

The latest national NHS England data shows flu cases in hospital have continued to fall but are still putting pressure on front-line services, with an average 1,755 patients with flu in beds last week, including 87 in critical care, down 14% on the week before (2,039).

Pressure on hospital capacity remained high last week with 95.4% of adult beds occupied, and a total of 97,152 patients in hospital each day.

Delays discharging patients to settings like social or community care continued to have an impact on capacity, with almost 1 in 7 beds (13,767) taken up by patients who did not need to be there.

Emergency services are continuing to respond to high levels of demand with 94,356 ambulance handovers, but thanks to the hard work of staff time lost to ambulance handover delays was down a fifth on the same period last year (18,688 hours vs 23,494).