A winter flu crisis is crippling overwhelmed hospitals across Kent as a record number of patients endure long waits for a bed.
Trusts across the county are struggling to cope with a surge in the seasonal virus, with the number of cases almost 10 times higher than at the start of December, and more than treble that at the same time last year.
Beds filled with patients lined the corridors of the A&E department at the William Harvey in Ashford recently
The influx is putting further strain on already overstretched emergency departments, with some patients facing agonising delays of more than two days to be admitted.
It comes as new figures reveal 2,572 people in December waited more than 12 hours for a bed – the worst month on record.
The scale of the challenges was recently highlighted in alarming pictures published by KentOnline, showing corridors lined with patients on trolley beds in scenes likened to a “warzone” by worried relatives.
One concerned daughter said this week: “I’d read about it, heard about it, but it’s only when you actually have to go in that you actually think ‘Oh my God, it is as bad as they say’.”
KentOnline’s coverage of the crisis was even held up in the House of Commons this week as one Kent MP demanded a meeting with the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, to help find a resolution.
Another county MP decried: “In modern Britain, it’s shocking that people are genuinely scared they won’t get the care they need in time.”
The William Harvey Hospital in Ashford is among those under increasing pressure
Elsewhere in England, many hospital trusts have declared “critical incidents” as the crisis sees them reach breaking point.
Isn’t it always bad in winter?
Historically, hospitals endure additional pressures at this time of year as temperatures drop and seasonal illnesses take hold.
But this winter has seen a sharp rise in the number of flu cases in Kent, with 114 patients being treated with the virus on January 5 – up from 36 on the same day last year, and just 12 at the end of November.
Compounding the issue is the number of people admitted with Covid-19, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus – illnesses which together with flu make up a so-called winter “quad-demic”.
On January 5, 39 hospital beds in Kent were occupied by patients with coronavirus.
The number of patients with flu in Kent is more than three times higher than last year
NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “The winter flu season has not only hit the NHS early this year, but it is potentially on track to be one of the worst we have ever seen, as the ‘quad-demic’ continues to increase pressure across services.”
How is Kent being impacted?
Many of the county’s hospitals were already struggling to cope with the number of people arriving at their A&E departments, with many patients enduring lengthy delays to be seen and then even longer waits for a bed if they needed to be admitted.
The flu crisis has exacerbated the issue, putting extra strain on staff and increasing the demand for ward space.
On Tuesday this week, Sam Fox, from Whitstable, was sent by her GP to A&E at Margate’s QEQM Hospital after blood tests returned some concerning results.
At midday yesterday, more than 48 hours later and after being told she needed to be admitted for treatment, the 49-year-old was still waiting for a bed on a ward.
It doesn’t matter how much money you throw at it, there just simply aren’t the beds right now…
Her husband Richard, a 50-year-old engineer, told KentOnline: “She’s just sat there on a hard plastic chair and she doesn’t know what’s happening – it’s just mad.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you throw at it, there just simply aren’t the beds right now.
“All of our experiences with the NHS in the past have been absolutely phenomenal, but sitting there for two days, it’s an eye-opener.
“I’m seeing it affect people. They come in and it just sucks the life out of them.”
How bad was last month?
It’s never been worse for so-called ‘trolley waits’, with reports of corridors being used as makeshift wards and patients being treated in full view of others with no privacy
The number of patients in Kent waiting 12 hours or more for a bed is at an all-time high
In total, 2,572 people – a staggering 83 a day – were forced to wait at least half a day for a bed on a ward.
Among them was 89-year-old dementia sufferer Louisa Gilbert, who was taken by ambulance to the William Harvey Hopsital in Ashford after a fall at home.
The great-grandmother, who also has lung cancer, spent a traumatic two days on a trolley bed next to a staff desk before she was eventually admitted.
Her daughter, Shelley Ellul, told KentOnline this week she would seriously consider whether to let her mum return to the hospital in the future.
“If she fell again and didn’t break anything, I think I would be in two minds on whether to take her back – it was bad for me to see her, but it must be horrendous for her.
“There should be the money to put the NHS right and not have this on the wards.
Great-grandmother Louisa Gilbert, 89, on a bed next to a reception desk in the assessment area of the William Harvey’s A&E department. Picture: Shelley Ellul
“I’d read about it, heard about it, but it’s only when you actually have to go in that you actually think ‘Oh my God, it is as bad as they say’.
“When you experience it, it’s just awful. It’s at breaking point.”
Where is the crisis worst?
The East Kent Hospitals Trust, which runs the William Harvey and QEQM, accounted for more than half of Kent’s 12-hour waits, with the 1,326 it recorded the third highest in England.
Independent MP Rosie Duffield, who represents Canterbury, highlighted the crisis – and our coverage of it – in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Addressing the health secretary, she said: “Patients continue to face unacceptably long waits on trolleys in corridors, and last month the KentOnline paper compared these conditions to a war zone, with an average of 40 very ill patients a day facing more than 12-hour waits.
“Will the Secretary of State meet with me and the CEO of our trust, who’s desperate for even the most basic diagnostic equipment, to ensure this doesn’t continue to be the case for another seven years?”
Mr Streeting said he would work with Ms Duffield to “help resolve some of those challenges”.
Elsewhere in Kent, two trusts saw 12-hour waits soar to their highest ever, more than doubling to 171 in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and up by 28 to 304 in Dartford and Graversham.
In Medway, where flu cases are significantly lower than elsewhere in the county, there were 771 waits of 12 hours or more – the same as in November.
Do we have enough hospital beds?
One of the primary causes of corridor waits is so-called “bed-blocking” – when patients no longer needing treatment are kept in hospital because there is no suitable place for them to go, such as a care home or specially adapted accommodation.
Medway Maritime Hospital was running at 98% occupancy for general and acute beds on January 5
On January 5, almost 95% of general and acute hospital beds across Kent were full – including 98% in Medway.
The knock-on impact of what are officially known as delayed discharges is a backlog of patients needing to be admitted, but with no ward space free to accommodate them.
Cllr Dan Watkins, the cabinet member for adult social care and public health at Kent County Council, recently said: “The problem with beds having patients in them who are medically fit, but without a social care package, is actually a reflection of the fragility of the whole care system in Kent.
“East Kent is the most challenged region, generally speaking, because we don’t have enough quality care providers with the capacity to take on an increasingly elderly population with complex health and care needs.
More people than ever are attending emergency departments in Kent, including A&E units and urgent care centres
“The number one reason for that is that we don’t have enough skilled workers able to provide that care. Now, there are other reasons as well, but that would be the number one reason.
“It’s a complex system, and it’s not just the local authority that is causing the challenge, but I absolutely accept our part in fixing the issue.”
Are hospitals still reeling from the pandemic?
Every day in Kent an average of 83 patients are left waiting at least 12 hours for a bed – compared to just 11 a MONTH in 2019.
Sarah Hayes, the chief nursing and midwifery officer at East Kent Hospitals, recently said the sharp rise has in part been due to the legacy of Covid.
“The reality of the situation is that some of the people that are coming into us are sicker,” Ms Hayes said.
The stark contrast between 12-hour waits in 2019 and 2024 at each trust in Kent
“The pandemic meant that lots of people weren’t necessarily able to access healthcare in the same way as they usually would, and their health needs are now greater.
“These are pressures felt across the NHS.”
What are Kent MPs saying about the crisis?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Labour members are blaming years of Tory mismanagement, while the Conservatives say the new government was unprepared for a winter crisis.
Dartford MP Jim Dickson (Lab) pulled no punches, saying: “There is no two ways about this – the situation in our hospitals is deeply troubling, shameful, and is a direct hangover from the rundown of our NHS by the Conservatives during their 14 years in power.”
Kevin McKenna, the Labour member for Sheppey and Sittingbourne, also blamed the previous government, adding: “Reversing this decline and making sure that the NHS is fit for the mid-21st century is what drove me from being a nurse working in the NHS, seeing every day how bad things had become for patients and staff, to getting involved in politics and becoming an MP.”
Dartford MP Jim Dickson says the blame lies with the previous government
Helen Whately, the former minister of state for social care, says the Labour government has let patients down.
“People are waiting for far too long in A&E this winter. It’s awful for patients, their families and for the NHS staff trying to care for them,” said the Tory MP.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESPONSES FROM KENT’S MPS
“Labour clearly came into government without a plan for the NHS this winter. Nor do they understand the connection between the NHS and social care, with their budget hitting care homes hard.
“Cutting winter fuel payments won’t have helped either.
“I urge the government to get a grip of this. They’ve been far too slow but it’s not too late to boost care capacity for the rest of winter and bring down the waits.”
Conservative MP Katie Lam says the latest statistics are ‘shocking
Katie Lam, the Tory member for Weald of Kent, added: “In modern Britain, it’s shocking that people are genuinely scared they won’t get the care they need in time.
“Of course the NHS was hammered by the pandemic and its aftermath, and local trusts do their best, but the current approach clearly isn’t working.”
Is the situation going to get worse?
While there is “some evidence” that flu cases may be peaking, the return of schools this week could lead to greater transmission of the flu virus as a result of greater social contact.
Prof Julian Redhead, NHS England’s national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, says he fears things could get worse before they get better.
“Wards are now full to bursting and that pressure is feeding back into A&E departments, with patients being treated in environments not usually used for clinical care,” he said.
The Dartford and Gravesham Trust, which runs Dartford’s Darent Valley Hospital, recorded its worst ever month for trolley waits of 12 hours or more
Some hospitals and doctors’ surgeries in Kent are asking people to wear face masks to reduce the risk of transmitting viruses, while officials are urging those eligible to have their flu and Covid-19 vaccinations.
Kate Langford, the chief medical officer for NHS Kent and Medway, said: “Winter places huge pressure on the NHS as more people use services and we are seeing a significant increase in patients with flu at hospitals.
“While flu numbers fluctuate on a daily basis, and represent a small number of total bed space, it does place additional demand on NHS services and can be a very serious illness.
“We have robust plans in place to deal with the increase in patients and to control infection but it’s really important people help us by using the right service, following hospital advice when visiting, and taking action now by having flu and Covid vaccines, if eligible.
“If people aren’t sure where to go for help, please use NHS 111 (111.nhs.uk) or visit www.stopthinkchoose.co.uk for details on local services.”