THE worst of the NHS winter crisis is over, hospital figures show.
Flu patient numbers have tumbled by three quarters since the peak on January 2 — from 6,174 to 1,595 — while Covid cases fell 40 per cent from almost 10,000 to 5,632.
GettyThe worst of the NHS winter crisis is over, hospital figures revealed[/caption]
Ambulances face shorter delays outside A&E too, with the proportion waiting half an hour or more to hand patients over down from nearly half to one in five.
NHS Providers chief Saffron Cordery said: “NHS trust leaders are doing all they can to deliver timely patient care.
“They have made remarkable progress on reducing ambulance handover delays in the last week, despite higher A&E arrivals.”
But Professor Julian Redhead, NHS director for urgent care, added: “While there have been improvements, the NHS remains under significant pressure.”
Ambulance and casualty delays hit record highs in December.
A report this week estimated 57,000 patients were harmed by 999 delays.
Strikes added to waits. Up to 4,000 physiotherapists walked out yesterday.
Medics warned of an increase in diarrhoea and vomiting bug norovirus, but serious cases are still low.