West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds treats highest number of flu patients so far this winter

Almost 50 patients were being treated for flu at West Suffolk Hospital at the weekend - the highest number this winter as pressures continue to affect the NHS.

Latest data showed on Saturday, there were 48 patients with flu at the hospital in Bury St Edmunds, including one person who was being treated in critical care.

This compares to a month earlier, on December 11, when West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT), which runs the hospital in Hardwick Lane, was treating a total of eight patients with flu. On Saturday, January 4, there were 38 patients with flu including two in critical care.

Last week, a SuffolkNews report revealed that on December 29, the average wait time at West Suffolk Hospital, for an ambulance handover was two hours and 22 minutes.

On Saturday, the average handover time was 44 minutes, with 31 patients waiting more than 30 minutes and 15 waiting more than an hour.

The NHS target is that all handovers between ambulance and A&E must be completed within 15 minutes, with no patients waiting more than 30 minutes.

Nicola Cottington, chief operating officer for WSFT, said: “Like most NHS trusts, we are currently very busy due to the high demand for our services, as well as the seasonal increase in winter illnesses such as flu.

“I am sorry to all our patients that experience long waits and our teams are working incredibly hard to minimise these as much as possible.

“Ahead of these expected pressures, we have continued to develop our urgent and emergency care services to help prevent avoidable admissions, delays to patients being transferred from ambulances into the hospital and reduce waiting times in our emergency department.

“When patients are experiencing waits on ambulances, our staff conduct reviews to ensure they receive the care they need. We also have robust procedures in place to reduce the transmission of infection as much as possible.

”We encourage everybody who is eligible to get their Covid-19 and flu vaccination, as these reduce the risk of serious illness and transmission to vulnerable people.

“Additionally, using alternative services where appropriate, such as your GP, NHS 111 or a local pharmacy, who can treat a range of minor illnesses, is very important. However, we are still here for those who need emergency treatment.”