Flu cases in NHS hospitals jump 55 per cent in one week - find out how many have been admitted with serious illness in the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire

The number of people in hospital in England with flu remains at a record level for this time of year and has jumped by 55 per cent in a week, NHS figures show.

And new figures show a big rise in cases in many hospitals across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said “there is a tidal wave of flu tearing through our hospitals” as figures showed an average of 2,660 flu patients were in hospital each day last week, up from 1,717 the previous week.

At this point last year, the number stood at 1,861 patients, while in 2023 it was just 402.

Here are the figures for all our NHS hospital trusts:

They show the number of flu cases in the week ending December 7 compared to the figure the previous week:

• Birmingham Women’s & Children’s 0 (0)

• Countess of Chester Hospital 29 (19)

• Dudley Group 14 (5)

• Mid Cheshire Hospitals 0 (0)

• Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital 0 (0)

• Royal Wolverhampton 21 (13)

• Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals 12 (5)

• Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital 16 (8)

• University Hospitals Birmingham 217 (147)

• University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire 44 (29)

• University Hospitals of Derby & Burton 35 (20)

• University Hospitals of North Midlands 83 (59)

• Walsall Healthcare 25 (19)

• Worcestershire Acute Hospitals 38 (28)

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, warned the “unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year” and there was no peak in sight.

Dr Vicky Price, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the “flu-nami” was hitting the NHS but this was “a sadly familiar picture of a system under relentless strain”.

Weekly flu numbers in England peaked at 5,408 patients last winter and reached 5,441 over the winter of 2022/23, the highest level since the coronavirus pandemic.

Some hospitals across the country have asked staff, patients and visitors to wear face masks to cut the spread of flu, while others have gone in and out of critical incident status due to the high number of people attending A&E.

The NHS is also grappling with the threat of resident doctors going on strike next week in a dispute with the Government over pay and jobs.

Mr Streeting has offered the British Medical Association (BMA) a last-minute deal in the hope of avoiding a five-day strike, which is due to start next Wednesday.