Norovirus cases surge to winter high piling more pressure on hospitals, NHS figures show

Cases of the winter vomiting bug Norovirus have hit a winter high contributing to a surge in hospital admissions, the latest figures from the health service show.

An average 898 people a day in hospital with the virus last week, according to the latest situation report from NHS England. That is a 15 per cent jump on the week prior and 30 per cent higher than the same week last year, according to the NHS.

While flu cases are continuing to fall, with an average of 3,019 patients a day in hospital, flu cases were still more than a third higher than the 2,226 recorded in the same week last year.

Professor Julian Redhead, National Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care said the winter “quad-demic” of viruses was continuing to put pressure on the NHS.

“It is welcome news that the number of patients in hospital with Covid and flu continued to fall last week, however the worrying surge in norovirus cases – now at their highest level so far this winter – means there is no let up for NHS staff,” he said.

“Hospitals remain close to capacity, with almost a fifth of beds filled due to seasonal viruses and delayed discharges to settings like social and community care.”

An average of 96 per cent of adult beds were occupied last week, with a total of 97,567 patients in hospital each day. An average of 13,426 of those patients were in hospital despite being medically fit for discharge, occupying more than one in seven available beds across England.

Ambulance arrivals at emergency departments were slightly higher than this time last year as well, with 91,275 ambulances arriving at A&E compared to 90,079 a year ago, but time lost to handover delays was down about a third on the same week in 2024.

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Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Hospitals up and down the country are continuing to grapple with challenging conditions, and I know NHS staff are feeling significant pressure as they work hard for patients.

“The broken NHS system we inherited has meant too many people have suffered unacceptable standards of care this winter, but we are steadfast in our commitment to turn that around as we deliver the reforms required through our Plan for Change.

“Today we are publishing the NHS mandate which sets out that improving A&E and ambulance waiting times should be among the top priorities for trusts as we set the direction for the health service over the coming year.”

The Health Secretary’s 2025 mandate to NHS England and NHS Operational Planning Guidance 2025-26 being released today are expected to include new targets for cancer care and mental health.

Hospitals across England have been under severe pressure all winter as flu cases skyrocketed earlier this month and cases of the winter vomiting bug norovirus soared to a five-year January high.

The surge in sick patients has forced emergency departments around the country to care for patients in any available space including corridors.

A report from the Royal College of Nursing laid bare the crisis facing both patients and healthcare workers, detailing instances of patients dying in corridors while others were cared for in toilets and carparks.