Greater Manchester’s hospitals are being hit hard as flu takes over the country – with two hospitals sending out urgent messages to the public this morning alone (Monday, January 6).
Face masks are being brought back in one Greater Manchester hospital, as it is hit with a wave of viruses and infections. While another hospital in the region warned of severe pressure on its A&E.
Meanwhile, senior NHS sources on the frontline have told of how – even in the days before Christmas and this weekend’s cold snap – Greater Manchester’s emergency departments have been seriously struggling. It comes as the country faces what the NHS says is a ‘tidal wave’ of Covid-19, flu, RSV and norovirus, also dubbed a ‘quad-demic’ by NHS chiefs.
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The NHS has warned it could be seeing its worst ever winter flu season as cases continue to soar, with Greater Manchester seeing almost three times the number of people in hospital with flu compared to this time last year.
Face masks are back
The Royal Bolton Hospital has announced today (January 6) that it will be reintroducing face masks in patient areas. The ruling means that all staff, patients and visitors have to wear surgical face masks in inpatient areas from today.
“Royal Bolton Hospital is introducing face masks in patient areas to prevent the spread of viruses and infection,” said a spokesperson for the Royal Bolton Hospital today.
“The hospital has seen a high number of flu cases in recent weeks, with 42 patients in the hospital with flu on Thursday 2 January, up from an average of seven in September.
“To address this, all staff, patients and visitors are being asked to wear fluid repellent surgical face masks in inpatient areas from Monday 6 January.
“Supplies of face masks are available throughout the hospital site.”
Tyrone Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer, added: “We’ll be keeping this temporary measure under review until the peak of flu infections reduce in the coming weeks. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding in keeping everyone as safe as possible while they’re in our care or at work.”
This afternoon, the hospital was alerting on its website that its ‘emergency department is currently very busy’, with waiting times to be seen of around two to four hours. It advised that ‘highest priority patients will be seen first’.
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital, also sent out a warning today, saying: “Our emergency services are very busy at the moment.
“Please remember only to call 999 or attend A&E if it is a life or limb threatening emergency. For less urgent concerns, please visit 111.NHS.uk to find the best service for you.”
One hospital in Greater Manchester has brought back face coverings -Credit:PA
These messages have been seen repeatedly over the course of the last few years, but NHS medics on the frontline say the combination of what the NHS has called the ‘quad-demic’, cold weather, and already-high levels of patients coming to A&E have left the hospitals crippled.
An average of 4,469 patients were in England’s hospitals with flu in the week ending Sunday December 29, according to the latest official figures. That’s five-times as many cases as the same time last year when there were an average of 942 in hospital with flu, and is more than double the average at the same time in 2022 when there were 2,088 flu patients in hospital.
A total of 4,102 people spent Christmas Day in hospital with flu this year, while the number of patients peaked on Sunday when there were 5,074. Greater Manchester is also experiencing far more cases this year.
The huge demand means the queue for already-scarce beds can be days long, say doctors and nurses. Patients are often left waiting more than 20 hours, including those who are in their 80s and 90s, while paramedics are waiting for hours to offload patients.
Hours waiting in ambulances
Hundreds of patients were stuck in ambulances for over an hour waiting to be admitted to hospital over Christmas in Greater Manchester, according to the latest figures issued by the NHS. There were a total of 5,477 arrivals by ambulance at NHS hospitals in Greater Manchester in the week ending December 29, according to the latest government figures. That’s at both emergency and non-emergency departments.
One in every 14 (7%) of those people, a total of 400 patients, had to wait over an hour before being admitted – preventing paramedics and ambulances from being back out on the road responding to emergencies.
One in five patients had to wait over an hour in an ambulance to be admitted to hospital over Christmas -Credit:Getty Images
Nationally, more than 12,000 patients were stuck in ambulances for over an hour waiting to be admitted to hospital over Christmas. The worst days of that period were on the 28th and 29th, when one in five patients had to wait over an hour to be admitted to hospital.
Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, said: “These latest figures show the pressure from flu was nowhere near letting up before we headed into the New Year, skyrocketing to over 5,000 cases a day in hospital as of the end of last week and rising at a very concerning rate.
“On top of flu there is also continual pressure from Covid, while RSV and norovirus hospital cases are also higher than last year, with hospitals putting in place an extra 1,300 beds last week than the same time last year in expectation of this continued pressure from viruses and other demand.
“With what looks like an extreme cold snap expected right across England ahead of the weekend, we know the low temperatures can be dangerous for those who are vulnerable or have respiratory conditions so if you are at risk, do try and keep warm and make sure you are stocked up on any regular medication.
“Please continue to use NHS 111 and 111 online if you need advice and support for health conditions, and only use 999 or attend A&E in life-threatening emergencies.”
‘Extreme overcrowding’
Other hospitals too have warnings currently on their websites of serious pressure. The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary says its A&E is ‘extremely busy’, with waits of up to four hours or longer to be seen. The Manchester Royal Infirmary and North Manchester General Hospital say ‘our A&E departments are currently very busy’, with ‘very high levels of attendance’ – adding that ‘all patients are seen in order of clinical priority, so if you attend with a minor ailment or condition then you will be waiting longer than our more seriously ill patients’.
In the days before Christmas, high-level health sources told the Manchester Evening News of standing room only in the region’s A&Es, waits of more than 36 hours, frail patients breaking limbs, and elderly people in their 80s and 90s spending hours lying on trolleys in corridors.
Multiple anonymous accounts painted a bleak picture of what that looks like on the frontline. Staff have come forward with stories of ‘extreme overcrowding’, where emergency departments have been filled with as many as 180 people.
Inside A&E, one source told of a wait of more than “36 hours” for a bed, while another said “it’s not unusual for people to be in resus for 24 hours waiting for a bed” – resus is the area of A&E where the sickest patients are treated.
“We’re back to corridor medicine,” said one consultant. “There’s such overcrowding for so long it’s hard to say that it’s suddenly got worse, it’s been there all year because of the lack of beds. But there’s now the additional burden of Covid and flu, and everything seems to be falling down.”
“On top of flu there is also continual pressure from Covid, while RSV and norovirus hospital cases are also higher than last year,” NHS chiefs have warned -Credit:PA
NHS Greater Manchester responded to these accounts by admitting it is aware of these huge pressures – and an apology. “We recognise that there are significant pressures currently facing the NHS in Greater Manchester as the impact of winter continues,” said a spokesperson.
“We want to reassure the public that every effort is being made to provide safe, high-quality care despite these pressures. Our dedicated NHS staff are working tirelessly, often under very difficult circumstances, to care for patients. However, we have seen longer waits in A&Es, an increase in delays when transferring patients from ambulances, and in some cases, patients receiving care in areas not ideally suited for their needs.
“We acknowledge this and apologise for any discomfort and frustration this may cause to patients and their families.”
‘We’re sorry’
NHS Greater Manchester also admitted staffing challenges related to the ‘quad-demic’. “Our hospitals and other services are facing high demand due to a rise in illnesses, including flu and respiratory conditions,” said a spokesperson. “These illnesses are also affecting staff leading to knock on effects due to staff absence.
“We know there are staffing challenges across the health and care service, including in social care, and we are working hard to address these challenges, collaborating with local authorities and partners to find solutions and ensure everyone can access the care they need.”
While people are coming to A&E in their droves, there are not nearly enough people leaving their hospital beds. It’s an ‘exit block’, say staff, as people who are medically fit enough for discharge are left languishing in desperately-needed beds by an underfunded social care system that has no more capacity.
“There’s a lot of respiratory viruses, a lot of people needing care that they’re not getting elsewhere so they’re coming to the emergency department as a last resort,” explained one consultant working in Greater Manchester right now. “People come to A&E because they’re desperate, it’s really hard to get primary care anyway.
“I don’t want to blame other parts of the NHS but it’s almost impossible to get a same day appointment. It’s not unreasonable that people want to get their health problems sorted. But there’s an exit block.”